Come Back
by Marvelguy00
Summary: It had been a month since Steven and the gems managed to defeat Jasper and Peridot. But even if they had won a battle, they knew that soon or later, other gems from Homeworld would have come to Earth. What they didn't know was the fact that, very soon, they would have had to face an enemy whose strenght went beyond all their imagination.
1. Chapter 1: Rage never dies

**CHAPTER 1: RAGE NEVER DIES**

It had been a month since Steven and the gems managed to defeat Peridot and Jasper, but even if they had won this battle, they knew that the homeworld gems were aware of their presence on Earth, that they would have soon become aware of Peridot and Jasper's failure and that, soon or later, they would have returned, but they also knew that as long as they would have stayed together, caring and protecting each other, no enemy could have ever defeat them. After the crash of Peridot's ship, Steven had been sitting on the beach for most of the time, looking at the sea. Pearl had become increasingly concerned about him, even if Amethyst and Garnet tried to calm her down, explaining that Steven was behaving like that because he had passed through something he had never faced before. One day, she decided to talk with him, not being able to see him like that anymore. With her arms crossed, she began to approach him, smiling sadly, 'Oh Steven, I never wanted any of this for you…', Pearl thought.

"H…hello Steven…" Pearl said, standing behind him.

"Hi Pearl…" Steven replied, without turning around.

"Are… are you ok?" Pearl asked.

"Yes Pearl…" Steven answered. Pearl couldn't take it anymore, she knew that something was wrong with him, and seeing him in this state really hurt her.

"Steven… I know there's something wrong…" Pearl said as she kneeled down.

"N…no, no there's nothing wrong Pearl, don't worry…" Steven tried to smile as he turned around.

"Steven…" Pearl smiled as she caressed Steven's cheek.

"Listen, I know you are worried about our safety, I know you want to protect us but you don't have to spend all of your time here, if other gems from homeworld will come, we will be ready, and they won't ever take you away from m… from us…" Pearl said as she hugged him.

"Thank you Pearl, but, it's not that… no wait, I mean, I love you all and I want to protect you, but I'm not here because of that… I'm here because of… ehm…Lapis" Steven became a little bit uneasy as he looked away from Pearl.

"Oh…oh I…I…" Pearl began to understand what was bothering Steven.

"Steven… Lapis… well… she made the right choice… she sacrificed herself in order to save you… what she had made had been… really noble…" Pearl said with an uncertain tone.

"Thank you, Pearl, I…I hope she's ok…" Steven said as he began to look towards the ocean again.

Pearl smiled as she remembered how much Rose cared about people she loved, and how much it hurt her to watch them suffer, 'You are so much like her, Steven, I couldn't be prouder of you…' Pearl thought as she ran her fingers through Steven's hair, and even if she didn't believe what she had said next, she said it anyway, because she loved him.

"Steven… I… I think she's ok… like us… she will never let anything bad happen to the person she loves most…" Pearl said in a soft tone.

Steven looked at her, smiling, they hugged each other, then, they got up and, slowly, they began to walk towards the house. 'I hope that one day, I'll see you again Lapis…' Steven thought as he turned around one last time towards the ocean before entering the house.

**Meanwhile at the bottom of the ocean:**

_"__You know you won't last much longer… you can't even talk… you are almost powerless… if you give up now… I might go easy on you… filthy traitor…"_

_"__I… prefer… to be… a traitor… rather… than help… parasites… like you…"_

_"__You… you will pay for what you did… you and those weak, dirty gems you saved… I'll make you grovel at my feet and I'll make you beg for mercy"_

_"__I… won't…let… you… go… I won't… let you… hurt…"_

_"__Why are you protecting them?! They kept you trapped in that damn mirror for ages!"_

_"__I'm… not… protecting… them… I'm protecting…"_

_"__Oh I see… then… it will be my pleasure to make Rose suffer in front of you…"_

_"__N…no…"_

_"__Shut up! You are losing control on me! Let me go now! It's only a matter of time! How much are you going to resist?!"_

_"__N…"_

_"__LET… ME… GO!"_

**The next day:**

Steven got up from his bed as usually, he went to the kitchen and began to make breakfast. Suddenly, the temple's door began to open and Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet came out.

"Good morning Steven." Pearl said smiling to him.

"Yo, buddy are you ok now?" Amethyst asked as they reached the counter.

"Oh, yes, thank you Amethyst." Steven said smiling.

"What are you going to do today?" He asked, finishing his cereals.

"We are going to continue our research of Peridot." Garnet replied.

"Can I come?" Steven asked jumping off the chair.

"I'm sorry Steven, but we don't know exactly where Peridot is, or what she is planning to do, it might be very dangerous…" Pearl said as she put her hands on his shoulders.

"Oh… ok… I guess I'll just stay here and wait for you guys…" Steven said in a sad tone of voice.

Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet went to the warp pad and as they waved goodbye they disappeared into the beam of light. Steven got up and went to the couch. As he sat down, his phone began to ring.

"Hi Steven!" Connie said as he answered the call.

"Oh, Hi Connie, how are you?" Steven asked.

"Fine thank you, hey, do you want to hang out today, or you have something to do with the gems?" Connie asked him.

"No, they went out, I'd like to meet you!" Steven seemed cheered up by the prospective of spending some time with Connie.

"Ok, I'll be there in an hour, see you later!" Connie said happily.

While waiting, Steven began to read one of the books Connie had suggested him to read. But after some minutes, Steven heard a knock on the door. 'Connie is here already, oh well, guess I really got sucked into the book' Steven thought as he got up and began to walk towards the door. He began to think about what he and Connie could have done… but when he got in front of the door, his train of thoughts stopped, as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped off. Outside the door was standing a huge figure, with long white hair, and a wicked grin on its face.

"Hello Rose, nice to see you again…"

**Hello guys, I hope you have liked the first chapter of my new story, "Come Back", so this is what had popped out in my mind lately, I don't know if I should continue this story, let me know in the reviews if you had liked it so far and if you want me to continue. Well, see you (eventually) in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Face to face

**CHAPTER 2: FACE TO FACE**

Steven couldn't believe his own eyes, she was there, just outside the door, staring at him, grinning evilly, Jasper was there, he had hoped not to see her ever again, but even if he had faith in Lapis, Steven knew that she couldn't have kept Jasper trapped forever. As Steven looked at her with wide eyes, he noticed something horrible. Jasper was holding Lapis, who seemed unconscious, by her hair. Suddenly she lifted her in the air in front of Steven.

"L…Lapis?!" Steven called her, hoping she would open her eyes.

"Come on, tell your little friend to run away…" Jasper said, tittering wickedly.

"S…Steven…r…run…" Lapis muttered as she slightly opened her eyes.

Steven would have never abandoned Lapis, but he also knew that he didn't stand a chance against Jasper, he had to find the gems, with their help he could have saved Lapis. Steven turned around and began to run towards the warp pad. As he was running, he heard the door being torn down. The warp pad was near so Steven jumped towards it, but, sadly, Jasper managed to grab him by his short and pulled him back, making him fly to the other part of the house, violently hitting the floor. Slowly, Steven opened his eyes and raised his head. Jasper was in front of him, she released Lapis, making her fall right next to him. As she hit the floor, Steven painfully dragged himself close to her and gently raised her head.

"Lapis? Lapis can you hear me? Please… answer me!" Steven whispered with tears in his eyes.

"S…Steven…I'm…I'm sorry…" Lapis muttered as she smiled weakly.

"You are pathetic Rose, look at yourself, you can't protect her, you can't even protect yourself…" Jasper said as she stretched her arm towards Steven.

But as she was going to grab him, Steven summoned his protective bubble around him and Lapis, then he raised his head and looked towards Jasper.

"You won't hurt her anymore!" Steven yelled as he stood up.

"Do you really think that this is going to stop me?" Jasper said as she summoned her helmet and hit Steven's bubble.

Steven gritted his teeth as he kneeled down. He stretched his arms forwards in order to prevent his bubble to be destroyed, but after a few hits Steven couldn't take it anymore and as his bubble disappeared. He fell to the ground, strengthless as Jasper came closer and lifted Lapis by her arm, then, she looked at Steven.

"Now Rose, you'll come with me…" Jasper said as Steven got up.

"I'll never follow you!" Steven yelled angrily.

"Fair enough…" Jasper replied as, smiling evilly, she looked back at Lapis and, suddenly, she grasped her by the shoulders and hit her in the head with her helmet. Lapis could only stretch her arm towards Steven before being hit another time. Steven gasped in horror as Lapis disappeared into clouds, leaving her gemstone on the ground. He tried to grab it but Jasper took it first and after looking at it, she turned towards Steven.

"I wonder how much it will resist before becoming dust…" Jasper said as she began to tighten it in her fist.

"No! Please Jasper don't hurt her! I'll come!" Steven yelled with tears in his eyes, as Jasper began to titter.

"Your friends will be always your weakness Rose, now, where's Peridot?" Jasper asked as she looked around.

"Wha…what?" Steven replied, even if a week before, when he went out with Jenny, Buck and Sour Cream, they found her escape pod, he had no idea of where she could have gone after the landing.

"I'll ask you one last time… where… is… Peridot?" Jasper asked, kneeling down, showing him her clenched fist, in which she was holding Lapis Lazuli's gemstone.

"I have found her escape pod not so far from here, it was busted and Peridot wasn't inside, but I don't know where she is, I swear!" Steven said as Jasper got up, reflecting.

"Mmm, I know the place where she's going, now move…" Jasper said as she pointed the warp pad.

"Why… why do you need her?" Steven asked.

"Because thanks to that green imbecile, we'll be able to leave this chunk of rock you call home very soon, and when you'll be in front of 'her', I'll be promoted, and 'she' will have the pleasure to put an end to the miserable life of 'her' worst enemy…" Jasper said as she began to walk towards the warp pad.

"Who… who is this 'she'?" Steven asked, he couldn't understand who Jasper was talking about.

"I thought I told you to move… do you want me to break this little rat you care so much about?" Jasper said without turning around.

"No! Please, I'm coming..." Steven said as he began to walk towards the warp pad, wiping his tears.

Suddenly, Steven heard something behind him and as he turned around, he saw Lion, who began to growl as he noticed Jasper.

"What is that?" Jasper said as she stepped off from the warp pad.

Lion began to walk towards her, roaring as Jasper summoned her helmet again and began to laugh.

"Do you wanna play kitty? Then let's play!" Jasper yelled as she began to rush towards Lion.

Jasper rushed towards Lion and as he tried to slash her, she dodged his attack and punched him, sending him on the beach. But as Lion hit the ground, he got up immediately and began to rush towards her. Jasper was ready to hit him again but as he jumped towards her he hit her with his supersonic roar, sending her crushing against the temple's door. As Jasper hit the door, she released Lapis Lazuli's gemstone from her grasp, which Steven caught before it could hit the floor. Before Jasper could get up, Steven ran in front of Lion and, as his mane began to glow, Steven placed the gemstone in it, 'Please, help them find me when you'll come back…' he thought as Lion rushed towards Jasper, but, sadly, as he was going to slash her, she got up and hit him with its helmet. Lion rolled on the floor and as he tried to get up, he fell down to the ground. Jasper began to walk towards him but Steven came between the two.

"Stop! You don't need to hurt him! He won't give you problems anymore!" Steven yelled as he waved his arms. Unfortunately, Jasper continued to walk towards Lion and pushed Steven aside, she was going to strike him one last time when Steven began to talk again.

"Wait! Y… you said you wanted to find Peridot, the gems are searching her too, if you want to find her first, you… you can't waste time!" Steven shouted.

After a few moments, Jasper sighed and got up.

"It will be for another time…" Jasper said as she began to look around, then she turned to Steven.

"Where is she?" Jasper asked.

"I… I don't know…" Steven replied sheepishly.

Suddenly, Jasper lifted him in the air by his t-shirt and grinned.

"Oh, you don't know?" Jasper asked sarcastically.

"Let me go! I don't know where she is!" Steven yelled as he struggled to get free.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me where she is, I'll have to use another method to keep you good…" Jasper said as she made her helmet disappear and Steven assumed an expression of terror.

"Oh no… no plea-" Steven was cut off by Jasper who knocked him unconscious.

"Sweet dreams Rose…" Jasper chuckled as she stepped on the warp pad and disappeared into the beam of light.

**Well here ends chapter number two, I want to thank you for all the follows, favs and reviews, I didn't expect to find so many of them after only one chapter, you are great guys, I want also you to know that I'll continue to write this story, I hope you have liked this chapter and the story so far, see you in chapter three!**


	3. Chapter 3: Beast against beast

**CHAPTER 3: BEAST AGAINTS BEAST**

**A month before:**

_"It's my only possibility… now that they are distracted…"_ Peridot thought as the explosion of the ship's core made Amethyst fly a few feet away from her.

As Peridot touched the floor of the control bridge with her gem, an escape pod enveloped her and before Amethyst could catch it, the pod disappeared and was shot by the ship towards the Earth. Peridot gritted her teeth as she watched towards her ship that, slowly, began to fall down.

"Damned… defective… brainless… traitors!" Peridot shouted, struggling to get free from Amethyst's whip.

"First my robonoids… then my ship! I had to work so hard to make her trust me enough to obtain that ship! You… oh… I swear you will pay for this!" She cried as the escape pod began to penetrate Earth atmosphere.

"She will discover about our failure very soon and when she will come on this pathetic planet she'll crush you with her own hands!" Peridot yelled as the earth began to become more and more near.

Peridot closed her eyes as the escape pod hit the ground, forming a crater. As she opened her eyes, she began to tap something on the holographic interface of the pod, but after some moments a red text appeared on it.

"Why don't you work?!" Peridot screamed in frustration as she hit the interface.

After a few moments the pod began to open. Peridot grabbed a destabilizer that was placed inside the pod and then she got out from it. She began to walk but she stumbled and fell to the ground, feeling weak. As she got up and regained her composure she began to look around and detached her fingers from her body. Projecting her holographic touchscreen, Peridot began to record a log date.

"Log date three, one, three, this is Peridot, the rebels managed to escape from their cells and took possession of my ship. One of them damaged the central core causing it to fall down to Earth, I managed to escape before the crash. It seems that my escape pod landed on some kind of human agricultural soil. The damage got from the landing caused a malfunction to the communication device. It's of prime importance to retrieve a secondary source of communication…" Peridot said as she projected a map which showed the various gem-constructed structures on Earth.

"I have located a site where I will probably gain access to an ancient type of communication device, despite its age, it should still be operating…" Peridot said, pointing a structure on her map. Suddenly her eyes widened, as she noticed something rather unpleasant for her.

"The absence of any teleportation devices will cause my journey to be… a little longer than I expected… but my task will be completed anyway… I won't disappoint her… not again…" She said, setting the coordinates, before disappearing slowly between the ears of corn.

**The present time:**

Jasper was walking through a thick forest with Steven under her arm. Between her thoughts she began to watch the unconscious little ball of meat she was carrying. She thought about her last battle against her armies, even if she was a traitor to Homeworld, she respected her, because of her efficient military tactics, because of her valor in combat, but the… 'thing' she had become, Jasper couldn't understand it.

"Why did you become this, Rose?" Jasper hissed staring at Steven.

"Why did you become so weak, so pathetic, so…" She was cut off by a noise coming from behind her.

As Jasper looked around, she began to hear some growls. As they became more and more near, an imposing figure began to emerge from the forest. It had a human shape but despite this, the beast was walking on all fours and had long sharp claws. Black fur covered completely its body and its eyes were bright red. Suddenly, when it was a few meters away from Jasper, the beast rose up on its hind legs and thumped its chest. Despite its act of intimidation, Jasper didn't step back, on the contrary, she was grinning maliciously.

"It seems that the green louse will have to wait…" Jasper said as she released Steven from her grasp, making him fall to the ground.

"Come on big guy, show me what you have!" She shouted, summoning her helmet as the beast began to run towards her.

The beast tried to slash Jasper, but as its claws were going to hit her, she dodged the beast's attack and punched it right in the face. Even if it didn't fall to the ground, it stepped back. As it turned towards Jasper, she jumped over it and tried to kick it but the beast managed to grab her leg and threw her towards a tree. But as Jasper hit the tree, an orange aura formed around her and a few seconds later she lunged at the beast with an extreme speed, hitting it in the stomach with her helmet. The beast cried in pain as it flew a few meters away from Jasper and hit the ground harshly, after some moments, it began to rise up, only to be met by another punch in the face. The beast fell back and laid on the ground, not moving.

"What's the matter? You are already tired?" Jasper said chuckling evilly, as she spotted the small red gem under the fur on the beast's chest.

Suddenly the beast tried to grab Jasper but as it moved its arm, she jumped high in the air and then she proceeded to come down, hitting the beast's head with her helmet. The creature disappeared into clouds as Jasper, took the little square red gem in her hand.

"You didn't choose your opponent wisely…" Jasper said as, grinning sadistically, she crushed the little gem in her hand.

"Watch carefully Rose, this is what will remain of you, a little pile of dust…" Jasper said as she opened her hand and made the scraps of the corrupted gem fall to the ground.

But as she turned around, the smug expression on her face changed into one of bewilderment. Steven wasn't where she had left him. Jasper began to look around, after some moments she gritted her teeth and punched a tree, making it fall down.

"ROSE!" She screamed, as she understood that the little, pathetic, weak gem, as she called Steven, had managed to escape from her just under her nose.

**Meanwhile, in the forest:**

Steven ran as fast as he could, when he woke up and saw Jasper fighting against a corrupted gem, he didn't know where he was, but he knew that he had to run away, and after that, he knew that he couldn't have permitted Jasper to find him again or she would have probably crushed him under her foot. He had to find the warp pad, he had to go back and find the gems, Jasper was an opponent outside of his reach, but with the gems on his side, he could have defeated her. Then they would have found Peridot and after having defeated her, everything would have become fine again. But his train of thoughts stopped when, all of the sudden, he bumped into someone. As Steven got up, his eyes widened as he noticed against who he had crashed into.

"P…Peridot…" Steven said as the green gem, turning towards him, jumped a few feet away from him and took in her hand her destabilizer.

"You…" Peridot hissed between her teeth as she faced one of the traitors who had destroyed her beloved ship.

**Ok guys, here ends chapter number three. I'm really sorry for the delay but this has been a full weak. I had a lot to work, well, study, and I also wanted to create my own cover for this story (I know it's not so detailed but I'm not really good at drawing), plus I had to make a few changes in the previous chapter since, as we understood from the latest episode, Peridot's escape pod hadn't landed in Canada. Well, thanks again for the many reviews, favs and follows and see you in chapter four, now that the holidays are going to start, I will have more free time and I will post other chapters more frequently.**


	4. Chapter 4: A second chance

**CHAPTER 4: A SECOND CHANCE**

Steven was running as fast as he could, when he woke up and saw Jasper fighting against a corrupted gem, he couldn't understand where he was, but he knew that he had to run away, and after that, he knew that he couldn't have permitted Jasper to find him again or she would have probably crushed him under her foot. He had to find the warp pad, he had to go back and find the gems, Jasper was an opponent outside of his reach, but with the gems on his side, he could have defeated her. Then they would have found Peridot and after having defeated her, everything would have become fine again. But his train of thoughts stopped when, all of the sudden, he bumped into someone. As Steven got up, his eyes widened as he noticed against who he had crashed into.

"P…Peridot…" Steven muttered as the green gem, turning towards him, jumped a few feet away from him and took in her hand her destabilizer.

"You…" Peridot hissed between her teeth as she faced one of the traitors who had destroyed her beloved ship.

"ROSE! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T COME OUT NOW I'LL REND YOU IN TWO!" Peridot and Steven could hear Jasper's voice becoming more and more near.

Steven looked in the direction of the voice with an expression of pure terror on his face. After a few seconds he looked around for a moment and then he began to run away. As Steven ran away Peridot began to shout in order to make Jasper locate her.

"Jasper! I'm here! The traitor is trying to escape!" Peridot yelled as she began to run after Steven, she couldn't permit to make him escape, she couldn't even think about what Jasper would have made to her if she had let that little roach escape from her.

"Stop! Trying to escape is counterproductive, you will only have to suffer a worse punishment!" Peridot shouted as she tried to reach Steven. Despite the fact he had short legs, he was pretty fast, and Peridot wasn't surely a runner.

"Why don't you understand?! There's nowhere to hide! I'll catch you! And if I don't, Jasper will! And when she will get you she won't go easy on you!" Peridot cried trying to convince her enemy to give up. But Steven didn't listen to her, he had to run away and find his friends, his family, alone he couldn't stand a chance against Jasper, but with Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst on his side, no enemy would have ever been too strong for him.

"Stay away from me!" Steven yelled as he forced himself to run faster, but suddenly he stopped, noticing that a couple of meters in front of him, there was a precipice. He began to look around frenetically but there was nowhere to hide. As he turned around he saw Peridot, walking towards him with a malicious grin on her face.

"This is the end of your little, pathetic attempt to escape from your fate… now you can't escape and you can't hide... your comrades aren't here to help you and soon they will get their own punishment…" Peridot said rather calmly.

"Finally, you traitors will pay for what you have done thousands of years ago!" Peridot yelled angrily.

She was going to grab Steven but then she heard a noise coming from behind her. She stopped and turned around.

"Jasper, I managed to stop the leader of the rebels, now-" Peridot stopped talking as her eyes widened and her expression changed from a smug one to a terrified one.

From the forest, a large figure began to emerge, but it wasn't Jasper, it was much taller than her, it had short legs but a very lengthened torso and four long arms with long, sharp claws, a pale blue mane and it was covered in a dark blue fur. As it rose on its short legs and let out a loud scream, Peridot and Steven saw the beast's gem, it was a light blue hexagonal gem embedded in its chest. Peridot began to twirl her destabilizer in the air, hoping that this would have intimidated the creature. But, suddenly, the beast rushed towards her and managed, with a quick attack, to disarm the green gem. Peridot panicked as she tried to look for a way to escape but there was not, the only way she could have escaped from that horrid creature was the one to jump off the cliff. The beast rushed towards her and beat her to the ground, then it took her and threw her towards a tree. Steven was shocked but he noticed something, the way was now clear, and the beast seemed to have no interest in him.

"Ok, very quietly…" Steven whispered to himself as he began to walk behind the beast trying to pass unnoticed. After some moments he hid behind a tree a let out a sigh of relief. He managed to pass unnoticed by the beast. Now he could have run away and… Steven's train of thoughts stopped when he heard a loud scream of pain. He looked from his hiding spot and saw the monster which was now holding Peridot by her arm. It punched her making her fly a few meters away. She let out another scream of pain as she hit hard the ground. After some moments she began to get up but she fell on her knees, she couldn't take it anymore. The beast began to walk slowly towards her, growling. Peridot looked at the monster which was now towering over her. As it raised all of its four arms to hit her one last time, Peridot gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

"Be quick, you filthy creature…" She whispered waiting for the beast to strike.

"I'm sorry, I disappointed you, Ye-" Peridot was cut off by a loud thud. She thought she would have felt an unbearable pain and then nothing more, instead, she didn't feel anything hit her. Slowly, she began to open her eyes and when she saw what had happened, a bewildered expression appeared on her face.

"Wha… what?!" She cried as she saw that, in front of her, there was the traitor she had chased. He had his arms stretched towards the creature and she and him were enveloped in a pink bubble. Steven turned his head and met the bewildered gaze of Peridot. He didn't know why he had done this, he didn't know why he had just saved the life of one of the gems who wanted him and his family to suffer, but he did it, because even if Peridot was an enemy, she was a gem, and even if he knew what Homeworld gems tried to do , he still had faith in them, in his own race, he still hoped that one day, he could have shown them what his mother saw in the world. The two looked at each other for some seconds, then suddenly, the beast grabbed the bubble and raised it in the air, it smashed it in the ground, then it raised it again and threw it away.

"No… no, no, no, no, no!" Steven shouted as he saw that the bubble was rolling towards the edge of the cliff.

"Stop it!" Peridot yelled as the bubble was now a few meters away from the precipice.

But it was too late, the bubble rolled off the edge of the cliff and, as it began to fall down into the precipice, Steven and Peridot's screams began to become more and more distant, until they disappeared completely.

**Meanwhile:**

The tear shaped blue gem began glow bright as Lapis Lazuli's body began to form around it. She landed on the ground, falling on her knees. Slowly, she began to open her eyes, but when she did so, a puzzled expression appeared on her face. In front of her there was an endless expanse of tall, pink, savannah grass.

"Wh…where am I?" Lapis whispered, starting to become frightened.

"He…hello?" She called, as she stood up and began to look around.

As she turned around she noticed something in the distance, a little hill with a tree on its top. Lapis began to walk towards it, wondering where she was, and where Steven was.

"Oh… Steven…" She whispered, holding her hands to her chest, closing her eyes.

"I hope you're ok…" Lapis said as she reached the hill and began to climb on it.

There were many objects, a treasure chest, a t-shirt, a bubbled gem, a flag with the same symbol of Steven's shield, a VHS tape, a pink sword with its scabbard, and a photo. She kneeled down and took the photo in her hands. Lapis recognized the human, 'Steven's… father? I guess…' Lapis thought, then she looked at the other side of the picture, 'Oh my… she… she is… so… beautiful' Lapis thought, smiling, 'Steven's… mother? Rose Quartz? But, how? She is a gem, gems can't have children…'. As she looked at Greg again, she shuddered in disgust, 'How could a so much powerful and beautiful being fall in love and give up herself for such a weak… creature…' Lapis thought, but then, suddenly, her expression softened as she began to understand, 'Steven…' She whispered smiling. He wasn't as strong and powerful as her, but he showed her mercy, compassion and love, he released her from her prison and healed her, even if she had stolen a part of his home, even if she tried to hurt his loved ones, he was so sweet, kind and compassionate, and even if he was half human, even if he loved the ones she hated, she still loved him enough to sacrifice herself in order to keep him safe.

"I'll find you Steven, I promise…" Lapis said, as a sudden light caught her attention.

As Lapis saw a light coming from the pink grass, she began to climb down the hill and to approach it. Slowly, she stretched her arm towards the light, and as her arm passed through it, with her hand she felt something, 'a wooden floor?' Lapis thought as she began to enter the light completely, disappearing from Lion's mane dimension.

**Hello guys, so here ends chapter four, will Steven and Peridot survive the fall? What will happen when the gems will return home and find out that Steven had disappeared? Find out in the next chapters, I hope you have liked this chapter and the story so far, thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows, really thanks a lot, and if you have any advice, hint or question (or gripes) please write them in the reviews, well, I'm done here, see you in the next chapter, oh and sorry for the re-post but I had forgotten the last part. However, hope you'll like this part too, to the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: You are more than that

**CHAPTER 5: YOU ARE MORE THAN THAT**

Steven slowly opened his eyes, he was feeling pain all over his body and had a few bruises and cuts. He groaned as he tried to get up. He could still see the bewilderment of Peridot's eyes, those green eyes, staring at him, not being able to understand what he had done for her, indeed, she was his enemy, she tried to kill him and his loved ones, but Steven simply couldn't… hate. Unlike Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet, Steven didn't see the enemies they faced as monsters, horrible beings that had to be feared, he saw them as souls who had lost their way, that had to be helped, to whom was to be shown love, not hate, compassion and not rage.

"Oh, my head…" Steven whispered holding his head as he tried to get up.

"Well, at least I'm alive…" Steven stepped forward but before he could take another step he hit something and fell back.

As he got up he noticed that all the forest that was around him was of a bright green. It took some moments to Steven to understand what was going on. He was standing in parallelepiped shaped, bright green prison, as he looked down he noticed that a little, green, pyramid shaped object was placed on the ground right under his feet and was glowing. 'Oh no… I… I have to get away from here!' Steven thought as he began to push the walls. But all of his efforts proved to be pointless, the walls didn't move an inch. After some minutes Steven sighed in frustration and turned around. As he turned around he let out a scream as he jumped backwards, he didn't notice that Peridot was watching him from outside the cell and was sitting on a trunk. She had bruises and cuts all over her body but she didn't appear to have suffered serious injuries. After some moments, Steven regained his composure and began to feel uncomfortable. Peridot wasn't observing her holographic interface, she wasn't even looking around, she was staring at Steven.

"Uhm… why… why are you staring at me?" Steven asked, sounding afraid.

"Your arm…" Peridot said, keeping to stare at him.

Steven looked at his arm and saw a cut, it wasn't deep but it was bleeding.

"You're bleeding…" She almost whispered while Steven looked at her with a perplexed expression.

"I can't understand…" Peridot muttered.

"Wha… what?" Steven asked again, not having heard.

"I… said… I can't… understand…" Peridot hissed as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

"Wha- " Steven was cut off by Peridot who got up quickly and rushed towards him with an angry look on her face.

"You! I can't understand… you! You bleed and the destabilizers don't work on you, and this would be understandable if you were human, their energy only destabilizes the molecular structure of gem's physical form, but you are not! You have powers, you can summon a weapon like a gem, but… but you are not! Your being is something incomprehensible to me… and so your actions! Why did you save me?! I'm your enemy! I'm a Homeworld gem and you are one of the traitors who dared to challenge the great Diamond Authority just in order to preserve the life of this miserable planet!" Peridot yelled as Steven pushed himself against a wall of his cell, looking scared. After some moments of silence, Peridot slammed her fist against the cell.

"ANSWER ME!" She shouted. Peridot always considered herself superior to the other gems, indeed, maybe she wasn't as strong as them, but her mind, it was something incredible, that allowed her to be capable of understanding things that the other gems couldn't even imagine. But for the first time in her life, she was facing something she had never seen before, something she couldn't understand, and she couldn't bear this.

"I... I…" Steven muttered, even if he knew that Peridot wasn't as strong as Jasper he was still frightened of her, he didn't know what to expect from her.

"What… are… you?" Peridot hissed between her teeth, trying to contain her rage.

"I'm… half gem… half human… my mom was a gem, and... my dad is human…" Steven said, with his back still against the wall.

"What? This… this is impossible! How?!" Peridot began to lose her temper again, gems always created other gems in the 'Kindergarten' sites, through the use of the bacteriophages machines, they couldn't reproduce, or so she had always thought.

"I… I don't know… they loved each other… and together they made… me…" Steven said.

Peridot cringed in disgust, 'How could a gem get involved in a sentimental and… physical relationship… with a human? We are immortal, powerful and our knowledge extends beyond the one of a single, pathetic planet, humans are sacks of meat waiting to putrefy, their lives are short and without a meaning and their minds will always remain locked in a dreadful ignorance…" She thought.

"Why did save me?" She asked him rather calmly.

"I… don't know… I thought it was the right thing to do…" Steven answered sheepishly.

"The right thing to do?! The most logical and responsible choice to do would have been the one to let me die! Now you would have had one enemy in less and you could have escaped! Your friends would have killed me, why didn't you let it happen?!" Peridot shouted once more, love, compassion, feelings more in general, were something incomprehensible for her, especially when it came to feel something for an enemy that wasn't hate and disgust.

"Because we are all gems!" Steven shouted as he stepped forwards.

"What does this even mean?!" Peridot yelled, her frustration growing every second more.

"We are all the same! We are like one, big family, and we shouldn't fight each other! What's the point of fighting and destroying the same of our own kind?! We should be friends, we should talk and not hurt each other, it isn't necessary to fight!" Steven said as Peridot's expression softened.

"Sometimes it is…" Peridot said as she looked down.

"Why?!" Steven shouted, clenching his fists.

"Because of the will of the Diamond Authority! No one should have ever come between it and its greatness!" Peridot said, pointing at Steven.

"Greatness?! Destroying the Earth would have been something great?! This Diamond Authority isn't great! It is cruel and without a meaning!" Steven shouted angrily as Peridot's eyes widened.

"How… how dare you! How dare you to cast doubt on its greatness! What the Homeworld have done will never perish, instead your little precious planet will come to its end one day!" Peridot shouted.

"But what's the point of living forever if no one will ever love you?! What's the point of being immortal and more powerful than the others if no one will ever appreciate you?! Maybe one day the Earth will disappear but we will always have the memories of the kindness and the love we have always shown to each other! And what will happen when the gems of Homeworld will encounter something more powerful than them and will be swept away?! What will remain of our kind?! Nothing but memories of death and despair! Is this what you consider greatness?!" Steven cried with tears in his eyes.

Peridot looked at Steven in bewilderment, was this what she wanted? Was this what she was fighting for? Peridot gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she turned away from Steven. She began to walk towards the trunk when she heard Steven's voice.

"Peridot, please, you don't have to do this…" Steven said with a calm voice, looking at her straight in her eyes.

"I do what I must do…" Peridot said, with a sad tone of voice.

"For what? For being mistreated and despised by the gems you serve, like Jasper? Despite your commitment?" Steven asked as Peridot looked down and remained silent.

"I know there's good in you Peridot, I can feel it, no one has ever shown compassion or gratitude to you and this turned you in the gem you are now, but you are more than that…" Steven said as he placed a hand on the wall in front of him.

Peridot looked at him for some moments, she couldn't understand what she was feeling right in that moment, but it was something she had never felt before, 'This creature… believes in me?' Peridot thought as she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Jasper yelled as she began to walk towards the two.

**He he he, cliffhangers, I know you love them, right? Ok don't yell at me in the reviews, however, here ends chapter five! I hope you have liked it and I want to thank you again for all the reviews, favs and follows, you're becoming so many, I know I do this every time but you will have to get used to it since I will never stop, really thank you a lot, I love you all guys! So, let me know what you think about this chapter in the reviews and, well, see you in chapter six!**


	6. Chapter 6: David and Goliath

**CHAPTER 6: DAVID AND GOLIATH **

'This creature… believes in me?' Peridot thought as she looked at Steven in astonishment, she didn't feel nothing like love or compassion towards the incomprehensible half human, half gem creature that was standing right in front of her in her cell, but, for the first time in all her life, she didn't feel hate or disgust towards her enemy, of course, the whole concept of a gem being with a human made her cringe, but not Steven, not the creature who could have let her die, but instead saved her, even if she was his enemy, even if she tried to hurt his comrades, his… 'family'. Despite the whole explanation of Steven of why he had done such a thing, Peridot couldn't still understand his behavior, but there was something Peridot couldn't help but think.

'Why am I doing this? For what am I fighting?' Peridot thought as she stared at Steven.

'For the glory of the Diamond Authority… or maybe… because I am just… scared of it…' Peridot cringed at this thought.

'No! I am an relevant member of our society, I decided to be part of it! Or maybe… no… I am not scared! I am… loyal… we have the power and the technology to conquer all the worlds we want… but… how many? And what if… he is right? We will never stop conquering… but what if our lust for power… will lead us to be swept away? What is the point of trying to conquer something endless… when we'll disappear what will remain of us?' Peridot couldn't believe she was actually having doubts on her work, it was something impossible, how could a little, weak creature make her insecure about what she had always done when she had always been convinced of it? Her thoughts were interrupted by an intimidating voice.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Jasper yelled as she ran towards Steven and Peridot.

"Jasper! You are alive! What happened?!" Peridot said in bewilderment.

"That pathetic, blue brat tried to imprison me… but she couldn't handle me, she tried to be strong in order to protect Rose, but she only ended proving to be nothing but a foolish, weak, useless traitor…" Jasper hissed as she approached Peridot.

"Lapis is not weak! She fought against you even if she knew that you were stronger! She understood what was the right thing to do and even if it would have meant for her to be imprisoned forever she did it to protect me!" Steven shouted at Jasper, clutching his fists.

"Ah Rose, now that I have found you, I'll teach you that it isn't a good idea to make fun of me…" Jasper said as she looked at Steven.

" Why is she in that cell? Open it now, I want to give her a lesson…" She asked Peridot as she pointed the green, floating cell, grinning maliciously.

"Well?" Jasper asked as Peridot remained motionless.

Even if she was her comrade, Peridot always considered Jasper nothing but a brainless brute, but this was precisely why she feared her. Revealing her that the creature she wanted to hurt wasn't Rose, and that probably, because of this, all of her hopes to be promoted, to gain more power would have disappeared into nothing, would make her crazy, and in her rage, she could have hurt even her, but what if 'she' would have been interested in this creature, and Jasper killed it before being sure of this? Peridot couldn't permit this, indeed, she feared Jasper, she could have easily crushed her between her hands, but 'she', if 'she' would have lost something 'she' was interested in because of one of 'her' servants, Peridot knew that 'she' wouldn't have been so merciful to allow her to have a rapid death. Finally, Peridot made her decision, and after some moments began to speak.

"I can't…" Peridot almost whispered.

"I'm sorry, I think I didn't hear you…" Jasper said as she came near to Peridot.

"I…I s…said… I c… can't…" Peridot muttered.

"Oh, and would you be so kind to explain me why?" Jasper said, tittering evilly as Peridot lowered her head.

"Jasper, please, there's something you should know…" Peridot said as she stepped back.

"Please, enlighten me…" Jasper said sarcastically.

"That… that isn't Rose…" Peridot whispered as Jasper's smile faded away.

"What?" Jasper asked incredulous, not having fully realized what Peridot had just said to her.

"Please Jasper don't do anything you could regret for…" Peridot began slowly to walk backwards.

"What is that then?" Jasper said gritting her teeth.

" She could still be interested in him, even if he's not Rose Quartz, she could still reward you, don't-" Peridot was cut off by Jasper who began to walk towards her and grabbed her by her arm.

"P… Please… d…don't…" Peridot muttered, terrified by what Jasper could have done to her.

"What… is… that?" Jasper repeated herself.

"He's… her son…" Peridot said closing her eyes, as she felt Jasper began to titter.

"If this is some kind of joke, I don't like it, you know better than me that gems can't reproduce…" Jasper said.

"It appears that, Rose Quartz could… this… creature… it… it isn't her… it has the powers of a gem… but it bleeds and the destabilizers don't work on him…" Peridot waited, after some moments, instead of pain, she heard a sick laugh.

"So, let me see if I got it, Rose gave up herself for this little ball of meat, and now all what I wanted to obtain may disappear into nothing?!" Jasper shouted, beginning to lose control.

"N… no… sh… she could still be interested in-" Peridot muttered as she tried not to sound too scared.

"IN WHAT?! IN A WEAK, USELESS HYBRID? THE ONLY ONE SHE COULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN WAS ROSE QUARTZ! THE GEM WHO DARED TO CHALLENGE HER! THE ONLY ONE WHO EVER MANAGED TO BEAT HER!" Jasper shouted as she hit a tree near to her, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Even more foolish and cowardly than I remembered Rose…" Jasper said, tittering.

"Don't you dare to say anything about my mom!" Steven shouted as Jasper turned around in astonishment.

"Open it…" Jasper whispered as she grinned evilly.

"Jasper don't do it! She could still want him, he's her son don't you get it?! He could… he could pay for what her mother did…" Peridot tried to calm her down, but Jasper grabbed her by the neck and brought her closer.

"I said… open… it… NOW!" Jasper shouted as she threw Peridot near the cell.

Peridot got up and quickly formed her holographic interface. She began to tap on the screen and after some moments the little pyramid shaped object under the cell stopped glowing and the cell disappeared. Steven fell on the ground but got up quickly as Jasper came near to him. Now the gem was towering over him, and as she kneeled down, face to face with him, she spoke again.

"What did you say, you little bug?" Jasper said grinning, she expected Steven to run away in tears, to be terrified, to beg her not to hurt him, but she didn't obtain what she wanted not even this time.

"I said… don't dare to say anything about my mom!" Steven shouted once more, indeed, he was scared of Jasper, but he wouldn't have let her insult the person who loved him most.

Jasper assumed a puzzled expression, this creature wasn't Rose, Jasper thought, but it had her courage. After a moment, she smiled wickedly.

"At least… it seems that you have some of her courage…" Jasper got up and reached Peridot.

"We have to get to-" Peridot began to speak but was cut off again.

"I know where we have to go, that shrine shouldn't be far from here, let's get there quickly, as soon as we'll retrieve that wailing stone, we'll be able to contact Homeworld…" Jasper said as she turned to Steven.

"You'll better not to run away again…" Jasper warned him and then turned around.

Steven didn't want to follow them, but for now it was his only option, if he would have tried to escape again, Jasper would have squashed him. So he began to follow them.

'I hope you are near guys…' Steven thought as he disappeared into the forest once more.


	7. Chapter 7: Dealing with the past

**CHAPTER 7: DEALING WITH THE PAST**

Jasper walked swiftly through the forest as Peridot and Steven followed her. Steven was becoming more and more anxious about what would have happened next. He didn't know what would have happened if Jasper managed to contact Homeworld. He didn't know who was this 'she' Jasper was talking about, he didn't know what she would have done to him if she would have come to Earth, if she would have hurt just him, or maybe all of his family and friends. Steven looked at Peridot who was watching a map on her holographic interface.

"We should be near…" Peridot whispered.

"Peridot?" Steven called her trying not to be heard by Jasper.

Peridot knew she shouldn't have talked to him, he was a prisoner and she shouldn't have engaged any kind interaction with him. She remembered about her training, back on Homeworld.

'Never talk to a prisoner, he could try to instill doubts about your actions, never become near to a prisoner, being near to him and forming any kind of bond could cause the manifestation of compassionate feelings that could lead you to become a threat for your own kind' Peridot remembered.

"Yes?" Peridot however answered, she didn't know why she was violating one of the rules which had been imparted to her, she couldn't understand which were her feelings towards this creature who had saved her life, he was her enemy, she should have felt nothing but hatred towards him, but… this wasn't what she felt for him.

"This 'she'… she will… kill me, isn't it?" Steven asked as he looked down.

"Y… I… don't know what she will do with you… Rose Quartz was the first one who ever stood against her… the first one who ever managed to defeat 'her'… if 'she' had the possibility to gain her revenge for the shameful defeat Rose imparted her… 'she' would have killed her… but… apparently… you are not her…" Peridot said trying to keep her voice low, being afraid of what Jasper could have done to her, if she had seen her talking with her hostage.

"Maybe I could… talk to her… I could try to make her understand-" Steven was cut off by a slight chuckle from Peridot who shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Do you really think she will listen to a… hybrid like you? Don't you think your… mother… tried to convince 'her' too about the unfairness of 'her' actions? If you think you'll be able to convince the one who decided to use this planet to enlarge our kind… then you're just a fool…" Peridot said as Steven sighed.

"Who is she?" Steven asked.

"She's-" Peridot was cut off by the voice of Jasper.

"FINALLY!" Jasper cried as she saw the shire they were looking for in the distance.

As the three of them reached the pyramid shaped shrine, Peridot began to approach the door.

"Let me examine this entrance…" Peridot said as she began to inspect the door, but after some minutes she felt a hand on her shoulder and felt herself being pushed away.

"Jasper! Wait we don't-" Peridot tried to warn Jasper, as she summoned her helmet and broke down the door.

"We don't have time for all your ridiculous calculations…" Jasper said chuckling, as she entered the shrine.

"Now we'll retrieve that infernal contraption and then…" Jasper stopped talking and became motionless.

"Jasper?" Peridot asked as she got to the side of her comrade.

"Where… is… it?" Jasper asked, gritting her teeth.

Peridot froze as she looked in the same direction of Jasper. In front of them, there was a pedestal, and above it, there should have been the communication device they were looking for, the wailing stone, but there was nothing. Jasper began to shake as she clenched her fists.

"J… Jasper?" Peridot asked, being afraid of what Jasper would have done next.

Suddenly, Jasper turned around and grabbed Peridot by her arm.

"WHERE IS THAT DAMNED THING?!" Jasper yelled as Peridot began to tremble.

"J… Jasper… please… c… calm… down…" Peridot muttered, shaking for fear.

"DON'T TELL ME HOW TO FEEL!" Jasper shouted as she raised her arm, but before she could hit Peridot, a voice made her stop.

"Hey! Leave her alone! It isn't her fault!" Steven yelled angrily.

"YOU!" Jasper said, releasing Peridot from her grasp, rushing towards Steven and grabbing him by his t-shirt.

"YOU AND YOUR DAMN, LITTLE FRIENDS TOOK IT, ISN'T IT?! ISN'T IT?!" Jasper yelled, raising her fist, as Steven struggled to get free.

"Jasper wait! Don't hurt him!" Peridot yelled from behind her.

Jasper hesitated as Peridot continued talking.

"He's half human! He can't regenerate! If you kill him 'she' will kill you! And then she will kill me just because I didn't stop you!" Peridot shouted as, slowly, Jasper lowered her fist.

"Enjoy the few hours that remain to you, you little cockroach, you don't even realize how much I will enjoy the moment when 'she' will crush you between her hands." Jasper said before releasing Steven and walking outside the shrine.

Steven got up and looked at Peridot, giving her a weak smile. Peridot turned around, assuming a disgusted expression on her face, but as she was going to exit the temple, she stopped, without turning around.

"Thank you…" Peridot almost whispered.

"You too…" Steven answered as they both went out and reached Jasper.

**Meanwhile:**

Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst were walking through a grass field, slowly approaching the warp pad. They knew that they shouldn't have been missing from Steven's house for too much time. They didn't know where Peridot could have been or what she could have been doing, but they couldn't permit her to hurt Steven.

"Ugh… where is she?! We practically checked every place on Earth!" Amethyst shouted in frustration.

"Amethyst, calm down, a few places are missing, we'll find Peridot soon…" Garnet replied calmly.

As they approached the warp pad, Amethyst noticed that Pearl had been silent during all the mission, which was something really strange for her. She noticed a sorrowful expression on Pearl's face and even if Amethyst didn't like to comfort or to share emotions with other people, especially with Pearl, she hated to see her friend in this state. So she stood by her side and began to talk.

"Uhm… hey Pearl, is everything fine?" Amethyst asked rubbing the back of her head.

"Yes…" Pearl answered, after a deep sigh.

"Pearl, listen… I… I don't like to see you in this state… you know that we… that we are friends and I care a lot about you… even if sometimes I don't show it… so… if there is something that bothers you… please tell me…" Amethyst said as she looked at Pearl, her eyes went wide for an instant.

"It's… it's just that… I would have never wanted all of this for Steven… he's such a sweet, kind, compassionate and loving boy and he shouldn't have passed through all of that… he loves us so much and he should have never been worried about losing us… and… I couldn't bear to lose him too…" Pearl said she looked down.

"Pearl… we… we all love Steven… and he loves us… and… as long as we will love each other and be there for each other… no one will ever tear us apart… not even the entire Homeworld…" Amethyst said, slightly embarrassed by this emotional talk.

"Amethyst… thank you…" Pearl said, placing her hand on Amethyst's shoulder, giving her a weak smile.

Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst stepped on the warp pad and disappeared into the beam of light.

"Don't worry Pearl, Steven is stronger than what you think…" Amethyst said.

"I know he's strong… but…" Pearl stopped talking.

"Pearl?" Amethyst said before looking straight in front of her with wide eyes.

The three of them remained speechless as they looked at the now wrecked sitting room, the door had been broken down, and signs of scratches were everywhere, Lion was laying on the ground, still unconscious and Steven had disappeared. They slowly began to approach him but as his mane began to glow they stopped. As they saw who went out from Lion's mane, they all remained motionless.

"You…" Pearl hissed as she summoned her spear.


	8. Chapter 8: Choices

**CHAPTER 8: CHOICES**

Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet remained speechless as they looked at the now wrecked sitting room, the door had been broken down, and signs of scratches were everywhere, Lion was laying on the ground, still unconscious and Steven had disappeared. They slowly began to approach him but as his mane began to glow they stopped. As they saw who went out from Lion's mane, they all remained motionless.

"You…" Pearl hissed as she summoned her spear.

Lapis was still disoriented, she tried to get up but she immediately fell to the ground, she raised her head and looked towards the three gems she knew as Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet, they all had their weapons summoned and expressions of pure anger on their faces, but the one who scared her most was Pearl, who began to approach her with her spear in her hands.

"What have you done to him?!" Pearl yelled as she was approaching Lapis.

"Wha… what?" Lapis asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"You hurt him isn't it?" Pearl screamed in tears.

"N…no!" Lapis answered as she got up, her legs trembling.

"YOU LIAR!" Pearl cried in rage as she reached Lapis and suddenly kicked her in the stomach.

Lapis fell to the ground, she felt weak and she couldn't fight back, not being far from the ocean; as she opened her eyes she saw Pearl, who was towering over her, and she felt the tip of her spear pressing slightly against her throat.

"P… please… I didn't do anything to Stev-" Lapis began to speak but was cut off by Pearl.

"SHUT… UP!" Pearl shouted.

Pearl was ready to pierce Lapis but suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw garnet, who wasn't wearing her gauntlets anymore.

"Pearl, stop…" Garnet said with a calm tone of voice.

"What?! Garnet, she hurt Steven!" Amethyst yelled with her whip still in her hands.

"No, she didn't…" Garnet replied calmly, before turning to Pearl.

"Pearl, let her go…" She said to Pearl, who had an astonished expression on her face.

"What?! No! How can you trust her?!" Pearl screamed in frustration, her spear still pressed on Lapis's throat.

"Pearl, calm down, she was in Lion's mane, who do you think had put her in there?" Garnet said as Pearl looked at Lapis.

Pearl stared at Lapis for a moment, then, she let out a heavy sigh before removing her spear from her throat. Lapis got up and stepped back, still frightened. Garnet stepped in front of her and began talking.

"What happened here?" Garnet asked calmly, not showing any bad intentions.

"Japer… she… she took him away… and went searching for Peridot, he didn't want to follow her, as he refused to go with her she made me retreat in my gem, I think she must have threatened him saying that she would have destroyed my gem if he hadn't followed her, this… creature must have fought against her and… maybe Steven put me in here to save me…" Lapis stayed silent as Garnet nodded.

"Tsk..." Pearl muttered under her breath.

"What?!" Lapis said as she clenched her fists.

"You let her escape… you let Jasper escape! Now she took Steven away… it's all your fault! You couldn't just care about him enough to keep her down there forever, isn't it?! You were just too weak!" Pearl yelled pointing Lapis.

Everyone remained silent as tears began to stream down Lapis's cheeks, she clenched her fists to her sides and closed her eyes as she gritted her teeth. Suddenly, she stepped in front of Pearl and slapped her on the cheek. Pearl froze as she held her cheek and looked at Lapis with an astonished expression.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! ABOUT WHAT I HAD SUFFERED! YOU KEPT ME PRISONER IN THAT MIRROR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, IF IT WASN'T FOR STEVEN I WOULD STILL BE IN THERE, WHEN I FUSED WITH JASPER I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU! I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU ALL! BUT I CHOOSE TO SACRIFICE MYSELF IN ORDER TO SAVE THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAD EVER LOVED ME! I… DID… WHAT YOU COULDN'T DO!" Lapis yelled as she turned around before exiting the house.

"Garnet! Stop her!" Amethyst said as she pointed Laspis.

"No, she's not a threat, she saved Steven… Jasper is probably searching for a way to contact Homeworld, but the only way is the wailing stone, when she'll find out that we took it, she will come to us, and when she will, she'll have Steven with her, we must be ready…" Garnet said looking at Pearl before heading towards the temple's door, disappearing into her room.

Amethyst looked at Pearl for a moment, then headed towards the temple's door, but before disappearing into her room, she stopped and talked.

"You know, Lapis did try to hurt us, she is a Homeworld gem, but, but maybe, she didn't deserve that, after all, she did a great thing for Steven…" Amethyst said as she entered her room.

Pearl looked as Amethyst entered her room, after some moments she looked outside the house's window and saw Lapis, who was now sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean. She was right, she… she couldn't have protected Steven from Malachite, but Lapis did it, she sacrificed herself for Steven, even if it meant to save them all, even the gems who kept her in her prison, she didn't deserve to be treated like she did. Pearl closed her eyes and sighed; after some moments, she opened the house's door and descended the stairs, she began to walk on the beach, towards Lapis, she knew that what she was going to do wouldn't have been easy, and the gem she had just insulted was now near to her most great source of power, she could have easily crushed her, but she wanted to remedy to what she had done, not simply to what she had said to her, but also to what she had done to her, she was the one who kept her in the mirror, for her, Lapis was nothing but lifeless object, but in the end, she understood that she was just like her… she fought for what she loved.

**Hey guys, so I'm back and this is where chapter eight ends, I really hope you have liked it, I'm a little bit rusty with my writing skills, but don't worry, the next chapter will be better, thanks a lot for all the reviews, favs and follows, I really appreciate all of your reviews, you are great guys, well, see you in chapter nine.**


	9. Chapter 9: A prison of fear

**CHAPTER 9: A PRISON OF FEAR**

"Jasper wait! Don't hurt him!" Peridot yelled from behind her.

Jasper hesitated as Peridot continued talking.

"He's half human! He can't regenerate! If you kill him 'she' will kill you! And then she will kill me just because I didn't stop you!" Peridot shouted as, slowly, Jasper lowered her fist.

"Enjoy the few hours that remain to you, you little cockroach, you don't even realize how much I will enjoy the moment when 'she' will crush you between her hands." Jasper said before releasing Steven and walking outside the shrine.

Steven got up and looked at Peridot, giving her a weak smile. Peridot turned around, assuming a disgusted expression on her face, but as she was going to exit the temple, she stopped, without turning around. "Thank you…" Peridot almost whispered.

"You too…" Steven answered as they both went out from the shrine.

As they both approached the forest they heard Jasper screaming in frustration. Steven and Peridot reached her and saw that she was now cutting down trees with her bare hands, animated by an uncontainable rage.

"DAMNED TRAITORS! DAMNED PLANET! DAMNED EVERYTHING!" Jasper screamed as she cut down another tree.

A few feet away from her, Peridot motioned Steven to stop and walked in front of Jasper, who had stopped hitting trees and was now sitting on the ground, with her face down.

"J… Jasper… what… what are you planning to do now?" Peridot asked in a trembling tone of voice.

She had always been afraid of Jasper, especially when she behaved like that, during all the time she had been her escort, Peridot could see how instable her comrade could become and she had never been able to understand why her superiors had always appreciated that side of Jasper. Her fear grew as she heard Jasper tittering. After some moments, Jasper raised her face, which was crossed by a twisted grin.

"Oh, I'll tell you what we are going to do now… we'll reach the base of those filthy traitors and after they will have given us the wailing stone… we'll contact Homeworld and then… we'll enjoy the sight of their gems being crushed…" Jasper said, chuckling, before turning around.

"They will never help you!" Steven shouted angrily, causing Jasper to turn around.

"Do you really think so? Do you really think that with their precious little ball of meat between my hands, they will dare to attack us? To refuse our demands? No, they crawl at my feet and they will obey me, just… because… of you… tell me something… how does it feels to know that you are nothing but their very own weakness?" Jasper said smiling maliciously.

"That… that's not true!" Steven yelled once more, with his fists clenched to his sides.

"Oh really? Then tell me something… every time you are around them… and you are in danger… about the safety of who do they think first… about theirs… or about yours?" Jasper asked as Steven's expression changed from an angry one, to a sad one as he looked down.

"That's right… they'll always put your safety in front of theirs… and this will destroy them… because you'll never be like Rose Quartz… you'll always be a pathetic… weak… human…" Jasper said before turning around and motioning Peridot to follow.

Peridot and Steven began to follow her. As they were walking, tears were streaming down Steven's cheeks, was he really the weakness of the ones he loved? His powers had surely grown during his life, but would they have grown enough to permit him to be able to take care of himself?

Hours passed as night came and Steven began to feel more and more tired. Suddenly, he stopped and fell on his knees, almost strengthless. Peridot noticed that and walked in front of him.

"Hyb… Steven… you must move… or Jasper will make you…" Peridot said as Steven looked at her with his eyes half-closed.

"I'm… too… tired… I can't walk… anymore…" Steven said as he tried to stand up but almost immediately fell to the ground.

Peridot watched the half-human, half-gem creature, trying to get up, failing in doing it, she saw him falling to the ground, she saw his weakness, but there was something she couldn't understand… weakness, it was something she had always despised, but now, she didn't fell disdain, or disgust, watching this creature, who had helped her despite what she had done to him, suffering, it did make her feel… something new… something that had disappeared from Homeworld for thousands of years.

"Peridot… I can't… please… carry me…" Steven asked raising his head, with tears in his eyes.

"I… I can't…" Peridot said looking away, she began to walk but she stopped as she heard Steven talking once more.

"Please Peridot… help me…" Steven said, as he lowered his head and laid on the ground.

**Meanwhile:**

"You know, Lapis did try to hurt us, she is a Homeworld gem, but, but maybe, she didn't deserve that, after all, she did a great thing for Steven…" Amethyst said as she entered her room.

Pearl looked as Amethyst entered her room, after some moments she looked outside the house's window and saw Lapis, who was now sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean. She was right, she… she couldn't have protected Steven from Malachite, but Lapis did it, she sacrificed herself for Steven, even if it meant to save them all, even the gems who kept her in her prison, she didn't deserve to be treated like she did. Pearl closed her eyes and sighed; after some moments, she opened the house's door and descended the stairs, she began to walk on the beach, towards Lapis, she knew that what she was going to do wouldn't have been easy, and the gem she had just insulted was now near to her most great source of power, she could have easily crushed her, but she wanted to remedy to what she had done, not simply to what she had said to her, but also to what she had done to her, she was the one who kept her in the mirror, for her, Lapis was nothing but lifeless object, but in the end, she understood that she was just like her… she fought for what she loved.

"Lapis…" Pearl murmured as she approached Lapis.

"Go away…" Lapis hissed as she remained seated on the beach.

"Listen… I just-" Pearl tried to speak but was cut off.

"Go… away… now… before I make you…" Lapis said as she stood up, clenching her fists to her sides.

"Please… let me-" Pearl said before being cut off again, as Lapis turned around and faced her.

"No! Whatever you want to do, whatever you want to say, go away! I don't want to talk with you! I don't want to hear you! I don't want to see you!" Lapis shouted angrily with an expression of hate on her face.

"I just want to make things right! Why must you be so stubborn!" Pearl cried.

"Stubborn?! Make things right?!" Lapis hissed between her teeth as a giant hand began to rise from the ocean.

Before Pearl could react, it grabbed her and as she opened her eyes she found herself a few inches away from Lapis. The only thing Pearl could do, being held by the giant water hand, was to hope that Lapis wouldn't have destroyed her, but her fear only grew, as she stared at her. In her eyes, there was more that anger, more than disgust, there was pure hatred, and as she felt the grip of the giant hand tightening, Lapis began to talk.

"Do you even imagine what it is like to be able to fly? To be able to admire the complete beauty of your home and feel what real freedom is? And then, feel nothing but despair for thousands of years, do you know what it means to forget the feel of wind caressing your face? To prefer death to life?!" Lapis shouted as tears began to stream down her face.

"When you found me… I thought that my imprisonment was finished, that finally, after so long, a good soul, that would have understood my pain, that would have understood the injustice that had been done to me, would have been compassionate and merciful enough to free me… but you didn't… you just… kept me in there…" Lapis said as she lowered her head.

"Lapis… I…" Pearl didn't know what to say, she could have never understood her pain.

"Why do you hate me?" Lapis asked with tears in her eyes as she raised her head and watched Pearl in her eyes.

"What did I do to you?! Why do you hate me?! Why didn't you make me free?!" Lapis shouted.

"I…I…" Pearl couldn't think, she was… scared.

"WHY?!" Lapis cried once more.

"I WAS SCARED!" Pearl shouted closing her eyes.

"What?" Lapis asked in disbelief.

"I was scared… scared that my past would have returned to haunt me… I lost my home, comrades, friends, and like if it wasn't enough… I lost the motivation for which I have given up everything I cared for… the only thing I still have… the only thing that still remembers me why I have done what I have done and that is able to show me every day what she saw in this planet… is Steven… when he came to us and said that you could speak… I understood that you weren't just a simple tool… I was scared… scared that you could have hurt him… scared that you could have taken away from me the one I love most…" Pearl said as the expression of hate of Lapis changed into one of compassion.

Suddenly, the giant water hand disappeared and Pearl fell on the sand as Lapis turned around and sat down on the beach again. Pearl stood up and walked towards Lapis; as she reached her, Pearl sat down beside her.

"All what I have done, I did it for the ones I love, but I did a horrible thing to you, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want you to understand…" Pearl said as she looked at Lapis, who remained silent for a moment.

"I also did horrible things…" Lapis said as she looked at Pearl and gave her a sad smile.

"I forgive you…" She said, as a small tear streamed down Pearl's face.

**Hello guys! Here ends chapter nine, I hope you have liked it, I want you to know that I'm really flattered by your appreciation, really, but I'm also grateful to the ones that give me critics, because thanks to them I'll be able to put more thought in what I write, and this will be better for me as writer, and for you that read my stories. Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows and… well… see you in chapter ten! **


	10. Chapter 10: Come with me

**CHAPTER 10: COME WITH ME**

"I'm… too… tired… I can't walk… anymore…" Steven said as he tried to stand up but almost immediately fell to the ground.

Peridot watched the half-human, half-gem creature, trying to get up, failing in doing it, she saw him falling to the ground, she saw his weakness, but there was something she couldn't understand… weakness, it was something she had always despised, but now, she didn't fell disdain, or disgust, watching this creature, who had helped her despite what she had done to him, suffering, it did make her feel… something new… something that had disappeared from Homeworld for thousands of years.

"Peridot… I can't… please… carry me…" Steven asked raising his head, with tears in his eyes.

"I… I can't…" Peridot said looking away, she began to walk but she stopped as she heard Steven talking once more.

"Please Peridot… help me…" Steven said, as he lowered his head and laid on the ground.

The last thing Steven felt before falling asleep, was the feel of something being wrapped around him. Hours passed as Jasper and Peridot walked tirelessly through the forest, the first thinking about all the most cruel ways she could have gotten her revenge, the second being no longer able to comprehend what was going on her mind.

"I will slaughter them all, I'll make that little abomination watch their beloved ones die, one by one, they will all pay… especially that little, weak, pathetic blue scum…" Jasper whispered to herself.

Jasper hated the Crystal Gems, she hated each one of them, including the little ball of meat who had taken away from her the only enemy she had ever respected, but most of all, she hated Lapis Lazuli, when she first arrived on Homeworld and "she" decided to make Jasper her keeper, the only thing she could see was a week, frail gem, unable to stand against anything, at first, Lapis Lazuli only disgusted Jasper, but now, after all what had happened, after what she had done to her, imprisoning her at the bottom of the ocean, the only thing Jasper wanted to do was to crush that gem in her fist, she couldn't think about anything else, and that is why, as Jasper proceeded through the forest, her malicious grin began to fade, Lapis was becoming her obsession, not because of her desire of destroying her, but because she couldn't understand her, how could such a pathetic, feeble, coward being have stood against her? How could she have kept her imprisoned for so long? These questions began to reverberate in Jasper's head as she began to realize something, was she, afraid of Lapis? Of course not! How could she have been scared of someone so weak… but… how could someone so weak be so… strong? Jasper shook her head, trying to stop thinking about it, soon she would have reached the traitor's base and then, in a short time, everything she hated would have become nothing but a memory.

"Sooner than what I thought…" Jasper whispered again, tittering evilly, as she spotted the warp pad in the distance.

"Hurry up brat, we are near to the-" Jasper said turning around, before remaining speechless.

Peridot was approaching her, but wrapped in her arms, there was Steven, snoring slightly. As Jasper saw her, she assumed a puzzled expression as she remained speechless. Peridot stopped walking as she noticed Jasper staring at her.

"What… are… you… doing?!" Jasper asked, dismayed by what she was staring at.

"He… he was tired… he couldn't walk anymore…" Periodot replied sheepishly.

"Are you serious?!" Jasper snapped as she moved towards her.

Jasper began to walk towards her, but as she was going to reach her, she stopped, as something disconcerting happened. As Peridot saw Jasper coming towards her, she moved Steven to her side and held him more firmly.

"You… care about him, isn't it?" Jasper said as she smirked evilly.

"Wha-what?! Are you insane?!" Peridot snapped, being bewildered by what her comrade had just said.

"Oh really? Then why are you protecting him?!" Jasper hissed as she pointed the green gem.

"I'm not protecting him! I'm protecting myself! If I had called you in order to make him move, you would have gotten mad because of his weakness, you would have certainly hurt him and then, "she" would have hurt me because I didn't stop you!" Peridot replied as she tried to keep her voice down.

Jasper stared at Peridot for some moments, then she began to titter. She turned around and began to walk towards the warp pad, but after some steps, she stopped and turned around.

"Maybe it's like you said, but know this Peridot, if you'll even think to betray me, there won't be any place on this miserable planet, or on Homeworld, or in this entire universe where you'll be able to hide to from me, I'll find you, and I'll kill you, slowly, enjoying every little moment of your suffering…" Jasper said as Peridot's eyes became wide.

"J…Jasper…" Peridot muttered as she stared at her.

"Is that clear?" Jasper said smirking, but her smirk soon disappeared as Peridot raised her finger and pointed something behind her.

"Wha-" Jasper began to speak as she turned around, but before she could face what was behind her, she was struck by something and flew towards a tree, letting out a loud scream as she hit it.

"Oh… no… n-not you again…" Peridot said as she quickly ran behind a tree, before the tall beast with four arms and dark blue fur could see her.

"What… what's happening?!" Steven asked as he woke up.

"Shhh, be quiet!" Peridot hissed as she deposited him on the ground.

Steven looked up at her with a puzzled expression, at the moment, he didn't care about what was happening, or why they were hiding, or what they were hiding from, he just stared at Peridot, as a slight smile grew on his face.

"You carried me…" Steven said smiling at her.

Peridot looked away with an ashamed expression, she could feel that what she had done, she hadn't done it just for her, and this disgusted her, this thing… scared her, she knew that compassionate feelings were strictly prohibited on Homeworld, after the war initiated by Rose Quartz, the Diamond Authority wanted to be sure that such a thing would have never happened again and one single manifestation of them could have brought a gem to her inevitable destruction.

"Another one?!" Jasper screamed as she got up and summoned her helmet.

"Come on! You want to fight big guy?! Show me what you have got little freak!" She screamed as the beast roared and began to rush towards her.

The monster reached Jasper but as he tried to slash her, Jasper jumped over his arm and punched him in the face making the beast take a few feet back. The monster roared as he held his face, not noticing Jasper who began to charge him. She hit the beast in his stomach with her helmet making it fly towards a tree, cutting it down. The beast slowly got up as Jasper began to rush towards him, laughing maniacally.

"Is this your best?! You are pathet-" Jasper was cut off by the beast stopping her with his upper pair of arms, hitting her from underneath with the others, making her fly in the air.

"Wrong move…" Jasper whispered as she came down with an extreme speed, surrounded by an orange aura.

Steven watched Jasper and the beast fighting and then, noticed something, the warp pad, it was right there, a dozen meters away from him. He began to stare at it, after some moments Peridot noticed it and grabbed him by his arm.

"Don't think about it… you know you won't reach it… she'll catch you…" Peridot said looking at him, trying to hide her concern.

Steven frenetically looked at the warp pad, then at her, he knew that what he was going to do would have been dangerous, but he didn't care.

"Peridot… come with me!" Steven said looking her right in the eyes.

"What?!" Peridot snapped as her eyes became wide.

"Come with me!" Steven said with a slight smile on his face.

"Are you insane?! I can't follow you! You are a traitor, I'm loyal to the Diamond Authority and-" Peridot began to speak but Steven cut her off.

"No you are not!" Steven yelled.

"Wha… how you dare! How you dare to cast doubts on what I believe in?!" Peridot yelled poking his chest with her finger.

"Because I know you don't really believe in it!" Steven replied.

"You… you don't know nothing about me!" Peridot hissed.

"Well, I know you are not like you think , you think you are one of them but you are not, you are something more, I saw it… please… come with me!" Steven said as he grabbed one of her fingers with his hand.

"I… can't…I can't join you…" Peridot muttered as she looked away.

"I know you are scared but… wouldn't it be better to stay in place where… where you could be loved… where you could be appreciated… where you could live without being afraid and mistreated every day?…" Steven said as Peridot looked at him and released his arm.

"Steven… I…" Peridot began to talk but she was cut off by another voice.

"Well, well, like your filthy, coward mother you don't lose occasion to turn on your side every single enemy you encounter with promises of something they will never obtain…" Jasper said tittering as she grabbed him and lifted him in the air.

"No Jasper! It's not like-" Peridot walked towards Jasper but as she approached her, she grabbed her by her air.

"No Peridot! Jasper please!" Steven pleaded.

"Shut up! Tell me something Peridot… what did he offer you? A future without fear, or pain? A place where to be loved?" Jasper said grinning as Steven's eyes became wide, 'How did she…' Steven thought.

"Face the truth Peridot… the world Rose Quartz dreamed… doesn't exist… and will never exist… never…" She said as she let her go and turned to Steven grinning.

"Jasper… you don't have to…" Peridot said as she got up.

"Well, we can't risk him to run away while we are near to his little friends, am I wrong?" Jasper said, smiling evilly as she made her helmet disappear…

**So guys, here ends chapter ten, I wanted to apologize for the delay, but I have been really busy with school lately, I hope you have liked this chapter, thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows, I promise I'll update next chapter soon, thanks for all the tips and for all the appreciation you are giving to me, I'm really grateful to you, I hope you'll continue to read my little story, and I hope you will like how I planned it to end. See you in chapter eleven!**


	11. Chapter 11: I can't hate you

**CHAPTER 11: I CAN'T HATE YOU **

"WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME?!" Lapis cried once more.

"I WAS SCARED!" Pearl shouted closing her eyes.

"What?" Lapis asked in disbelief.

"I was scared… scared that my past could have returned to haunt me… I lost my home, comrades, friends, and like if it wasn't enough… I lost the motivation for which I have given up everything I cared for… the only thing I still have… the only thing that still remembers me why I have done what I have done and that is able to show me every day what she saw in this planet… is Steven… when he came to us and said that you could speak… I understood that you weren't just a simple tool… I was scared… scared that you could have hurt him… scared that you could have taken away from me the one I love most…" Pearl said as the expression of hate of Lapis changed into one of compassion.

Suddenly, the giant water hand disappeared and Pearl fell on the sand as Lapis turned around and sat down on the beach again. Pearl stood up and walked towards Lapis; as she reached her, Pearl sat down beside her.

"All what I have done, I did it for the ones I love, but I did a horrible thing to you, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want you to understand…" Pearl said as she looked at Lapis, who remained silent for a moment.

"I also did horrible things…" Lapis said as she looked at Pearl and gave her a sad smile.

"I forgive you…" She said, as a small tear streamed down Pearl's face.

Pearl and Lapis remained silent for some minutes, just staring at the ocean, finally free from hatred. After some moments, Lapis looked at Pearl and she did the same, 'This gem, she found me, she kept me trapped, but, not because she wanted me to suffer, just because she was scared, just because she couldn't bear to lose what she loved most' Lapis thought as she stared at Pearl.

"Is… everything alright?" Pearl asked, a little bit uncomfortable because of Lapis who had been staring at her for some minutes.

"You love him more than anyone else, isn't it?" Lapis asked as she turned her gaze to ocean.

Pearl was taken aback by her question, but soon enough her astonished expression changed, being replaced by a little smile, as she hugged her legs.

"I… I… couldn't imagine a life without Steven… he… I know that sometimes… he doesn't think he is a real Crystal Gem… but the truth is that we couldn't be the Crystal Gem without him… and I don't talk only about his powers… he… he is our strength… he reminds us why we decided to fight for this planet… his optimism… his happiness… he is our light… our rock…" Pearl said as Lapis looked at her smiling.

"You know… at first… I… I didn't care about Earth… I couldn't see what Rose saw in this planet… I tried and tried and tried again… but… I simply couldn't see it… I… did what I did… I fought against Homeworld… my own home… because… because…" Pearl said as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Because… you… loved her…" Lapis whispered as she chuckled.

"Is that funny?" Pearl said gritting her teeth.

"No… it's the same thing I did… we aren't so different after all…" Lapis said as Pearl gave her a little smile.

"But Steven…it is thanks to him that I understood what was the beauty Rose always talked about… the beauty of this planet… of humanity… what Rose saw in this planet and in humans… I saw it in Steven… he has always been so sweet, kind, compassionate and… forgiving… even with the ones who didn't deserve it…" Pearl said as her mind began to travel.

**Twelve years before**

A year had passed since Rose had given birth to Steven, a year since Rose had disappeared from their lives, Garnet and Amethyst felt like a part of them had died, Rose has been a mentor to Garnet, she taught her that her decision to become a fusion permanently was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, because nothing could express Ruby and Sapphire's love better than becoming one thing, an experience, bright and wonderful, made of pure love; she had been a mother to Amethyst, she was the one who saved her from the Kindergarten, who had welcomed her in her family and made her understand that she wasn't a monster created with the single purpose to hurt people, but a wonderful creature, beautiful and strong and that the fact that she enjoyed her life, eating and sleeping even if she didn't need it, made her only more amazing. Garnet immediately understood that Steven would have become something incredible and that Rose's sacrifice has not been in vain. At first Amethyst said that she would have never left her room, that she would have never loved that 'thing' that had taken her 'mother' away from her, but she couldn't stay angry at her little brother for long, and after awhile she understood that what Rose would have wanted her to do was to protect her son and to teach him what she had taught to her. Everyone loved Steven… everyone except for Pearl. Rose and Pearl had a deeper bond than anyone else and when she 'died', Pearl died with her. She couldn't go on missions anymore, she couldn't face the reality of things, she couldn't face the fact that she would have never seen her again but most of all, she couldn't bear to see him.

"Pearl…" Garnet said as she descended Steven bedroom's ladder.

"Hello… Garnet…" Pearl said as she tried to smile.

"I'm glad to see you… do you feel better?" Garnet said as she placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder.

"Better…" Pearl said as she looked down, tittering, shaking her head.

"I'm… sorry… do you want to come-" Garnet said but was cut off.

"No… no… I just want to… stay here… and watch her…" Pearl said as she stared at Rose's portrait.

"Okay…" Garnet whispered as she walked towards the temple's door and disappeared into her room.

Pearl sat on the couch and hugged her legs as she stared at Rose's portrait. She began to remember all the good times she had with Rose, and as her mind was travelling, she grabbed her left hand with her right.

"My Pearl…" She whispered as she looked at the painting with a sad smile.

"I… I can't go on without you…" Pearl said as she turned around and buried her head between her legs, sobbing slightly.

She stayed there, wining, trying to forget Rose, trying to understand if her memory was the only thing that was keeping her alive, or the only thing that was making her suffer. Suddenly, she felt her dress being pulled by something. She looked behind her and saw a little creature pulling her dress, smiling at her. Pearl turned her gaze, with a disgusted look on her face.

"Don't… touch… me…" Pearl hissed, but Steven kept pulling her dress, giggling.

"Go away…" Pearl said loudly as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, but Steven wouldn't stop.

"What do you want from me?!" Pearl said as she turned around and faced Steven.

"What else do you want to take away from me?!" Pearl shouted as she took him under his arms and raised him.

Pearl and Steven were now face to face, his eyes full of joy and wonder met hers, filled with hatred and anger. Tears began to stream down her face as she brought him closer.

"Why did you take her away from me? What do you have that I don't have?!" Pearl whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"I'll never forgive you… I'll never love you… you took everything I cared for away from me… I'll hate you for the rest of my l-" Pearl hissed between her teeth but before she could finish, her eyes widened as she was cut off by Steven… who wrapped his tiny arms around her head, giggling and giving her a small kiss on her forehead.

"Ma…" Steven said tittering as he continued to hug her head.

"I hate you… I hate you… I… I…" Pearl said as she began to sob uncontrollably.

"I can't… hate you…" Pearl said as she brought Steven into a tight embrace, she couldn't hate the last part of Rose that remained her, she couldn't hate the one Rose loved most, if she had really loved Rose, then she would have loved Steven, and what happened next, made her feel something she hadn't felt for years, happiness, as she opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by a bright, pink light.

"Please, forgive me Steven, it's not your fault, it's not your fault… I promise… I promise I'll raise you… I'll love you… I'll protect you and I promise… I'll never leave you alone…" Pearl whispered as she laid down on the couch and kissed Steven on his forehead, before falling asleep, finally in peace.

**The present time:**

"ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!" Peridot shouted at Jasper.

"Please, don't be a fool, he's the son of Rose Quartz, he didn't die the first time, he didn't now…" Jasper said as she held in her grasp Steven, who was now unconscious.

"Now move yourself…" She said as she stepped over the warp pad.

Peridot looked down and stood beside Jasper.

"They won't help us…" Peridot whispered as Jasper looked at her.

"Oh, I'm sure they will…" Jasper said as she tittered evilly.

"How can you be so sure? Rose's rebellion started because of her fascination for this planet, if they will give us what we want, the Earth will be used for the Diamond Authority's purpose, and all the life on this planet, will disappear…" Peridot said as she looked at Jasper.

"No, Rose's rebellion started because of her foolish feeling of compassion, this is what she taught to her comrades and this is why they'll do everything we want just in order to save this little brat… it's funny how she must have thought that this would have made them stronger, when actually, it only made them become more weak…" Jasper said as she and Peridot disappeared into the beam of light.

On the beach:

"Every time I got angry and shouted at him, or I was sad and I rejected him even if he only wanted to cheer me up, he forgave me and continued to love me…" Pearl said chuckling slightly.

"I wish I could have been stronger, I wish I could have helped him like he helped me…" Lapis said, burying her face in her knees, but she raised her head as she felt a comforting touch on her shoulder.

"You are strong Lapis, stronger than what you think, if it wasn't for you, probably we wouldn't be here now, you did all what you could do…" Pearl said looking at her, smiling.

"They'll always use the ones we care for in order to control us, they'll always be stronger…" Lapis said as she looked away, but suddenly, Pearl took her by her shoulders and made her turn around.

"Don't be a fool Lapis! We'll always be stronger than them, because the ones we love are not our weakness, they are our strength, we'll always have something to fight for, and it isn't something selfish and horrible like the purpose of Homeworld, it's love, and it'll be always stronger than them!" Pearl said as a smile replaced the defeated expression on Lapis face.

"Thank you Pearl…" Lapis whispered.

"You are welc-" Pearl tried to speak but was cut off by a familiar sound… the sound of the warp pad.

**Hi guys, sorry again for the delay, but this last weeks of school are really though and I don't have much free time, I hope you have liked this chapter, I know I have diverted from the main story with this chapter but I really wanted to write about Pearl and her change of feelings towards Steven, don't worry, in the next chapter Jasper and Peridot will reach the temple and then… well you'll have to wait to find out. Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows, you are great guys.**


	12. Chapter 12: Returning home

**CHAPTER 12: RETURNING HOME **

"They'll always use the ones we care for in order to control us, they'll always be stronger…" Lapis said as she looked away, but suddenly, Pearl took her by her shoulders and made her turn around.

"Don't be a fool Lapis! We'll always be stronger than them, because the ones we love are not our weakness, they are our strength, we'll always have something to fight for, and it isn't something selfish and horrible like the purpose of Homeworld, it's love, and it'll be always stronger than them!" Pearl said as a smile replaced the defeated expression on Lapis face.

"Thank you Pearl…" Lapis whispered.

"You are welc-" Pearl tried to speak but was cut off by a familiar sound… the sound of the warp pad.

Pearl froze as her eyes went wide, she watched Lapis with an expression made of pure terror, then, she got up, breathing heavily. She watched the house as the light of the warp pad fade away.

"It must be them…" Pearl whispered as, suddenly, she began to rush towards the temple.

As Pearl reached the top of the stairs, she watched behind her and noticed that Lapis wasn't there. Pearl looked around, she was nowhere to be found but at the moment she didn't care, she had to save Steven. As she swung open the door, her eyes widened in horror as she saw Peridot and Jasper standing on the warp pad, and between her arms, there was Steven. Pearl got to Garnet and Amethyst's side in front of the warp pad.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled, but Steven didn't answer. As she didn't hear any answer and saw that Steven wasn't moving, a shiver ran through her body, as she gritted her teeth and summoned her spear.

"What did you do to him?!" Pearl screamed in anger.

"Relax… he's fine… for now…" Jasper answered calmly as a malicious smile appeared on her face.

"I swear… if you hurt him I'll-" Pearl hissed through her teeth but was cut off.

"What? You'll sting me with your toothpick?" Jasper said, tittering evilly, as Pearl took a step towards her, but she stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder

"Pearl… calm down…" Garnet said in a calm tone of voice.

"Calm down?! That monster has our baby between her arms and I should calm down?!" Pearl yelled angrily.

"That's why we can't lose our temper, not now, not with Steven in her possession…" Garnet said, as Pearl expression softened.

"You are right, you little, pathetic fusion, and if you want this sack of meat not to be torn in two, then you'll put away your little toys, now…" Jasper said, grinning.

Slowly, Garnet lowered her gauntlets and made them disappear, Pearl sighed heavily and did the same.

"What?! You are really listening to her?!" Amethyst shouted.

"Amethyst, drop your weapon…" Garnet said, keeping her gaze on Jasper.

"But…" Amethyst tried to reply.

"Amethyst… do it for Steven…" Garnet said as Amethyst looked down and made her whip disappear.

"Very well… now… give us the wailing stone…" Jasper said.

As soon as Jasper pronounced the name of the artifact, Pearl and Amethyst's eyes widened in horror. Being taken aback by her request, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst remained silent. After some moments Jasper spoke again.

"Well? No wailing stone? I guess you don't care about this little brat so much after all…" Jasper said as, suddenly, she took Steven by his throat and raised him in the air.

"No, Steven! Let him go!" Pearl yelled in panic.

"I gave you a choice… now… watch him die…" Jasper said, tightening her grip.

"Garnet! Garnet, please! Give them what they want! Please…" Pearl cried, taking Garnet by her shoulders, tears running down her cheeks.

"Let him go… I'll give you what you want…" Garnet said taking a step towards Jasper, opening the temple's door.

"You are pathetic and weak… just like your leader…" Jasper whispered in Garnet's ear as she passed by her side. Garnet stopped walking, but after some moments, she entered her room, knowing that she couldn't have done anything against Jasper.

After some moments, Garnet came out from her room with a bubble floating above her palm. Inside of it, there was the wailing stone. Garnet made the bubble disappear and handed it to Jasper.

"Take it…" Jasper said, looking at Peridot.

Peridot took a step towards Garnet and took the wailing stone from her hands, before returning to Jasper.

"Now, step aside…" Jasper said, waving her arm.

"We gave you what you want! Release Steven!" Pearl cried as Jasper began to laugh.

"I never told I would have given him back to you, just that I wouldn't have killed him, and if you still want him to live, then you'll step aside… now!" Jasper screamed as Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet stepped aside, letting Jasper and Peridot pass.

Jasper opened the door and descended the ladder, Peridot and the gems following her. As she reached the beach, Jasper put the wailing stone on the ground and took Peridot by her arm, pulling her to the ground.

"Begin transmitting the message…" Jasper said harshly, then, she turned her gaze to the gems, grinning wickedly.

Garnet had her fists clenched to her sides, Amethyst was gritting her teeth and pulling her hair, and Pearl was sobbing slightly on Garnet's shoulder. All hopes seemed to be gone for the Crystal Gems, more Homeworld gems would have come to Earth, they would have taken them to Homeworld, and there, between exultant crowds, they would have been executed. But there was something Jasper couldn't understand, if they were going to die, why was the fusion smiling?

"What are you smiling at, slaphead? Don't you understand this is your end?" Jasper said, becoming annoyed by Garnet's amiss behavior.

"Garnet?" Pearl asked with tears in her eyes.

"Trust me…" Garnet said, with a slight smile on her face, before turning to Jasper.

"It burns, doesn't it?" Garnet said, looking at Jasper.

"What are you talking about?" Jasper talked in bewilderment.

"After all, you are just the same shameless coward you were during the war…" Garnet said, tittering slightly.

"What did you say?!" Jasper cried in anger, keeping her gaze on Garnet.

"You would have never beaten us if you hadn't taken Steven as your hostage… you are just a pathetic, weak, coward, nothing more…" Garnet said.

"How dare you! I'll crash you with my bear hands!" Jasper screamed in anger, but after some moments, an evil grin appeared on her face.

"I know what you are doing, you won't make me come to you…" Jasper said tittering, but her chuckle soon stopped, as she heard Garnet's reply.

"Oh, that isn't what I wanted, I just wanted to give her time…" Garnet said crossing her arms.

Jasper looked at her in bewilderment and before she could turn around, a giant water hand smashed her to the ground, making her release Steven. Pearl ran towards him and kneeled down in front of him, she took him between her arms and began to shake him slightly.

"Steven?" Pearl whispered.

"Hmm… P… Pearl?" Steven murmured as he slowly opened his eyes.

**I'm back guys! I hope you have liked this chapter and oh my god I can feel you hating me right now for these cliffhangers but I have good news, so the last time I wrote, I had nothing else to do during the day, so I wrote about three thousands of words and now I'll update another chapter tomorrow and another the day after tomorrow! Are you happy? I hope so, thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows, and be ready for this little marathon, will the Crystal gems manage to defeat Jasper and Peridot? Discover it in the next chapters, tomorrow! Bye.**


	13. Chapter 13: We are stronger than you

**CHAPTER 13: WE ARE STRONGER THAN YOU**

Jasper looked at her in bewilderment and before she could turn around, a giant water hand smashed her to the ground, making her release Steven. Pearl ran towards him and kneeled down in front of him, she took him between her arms and began to shake him slightly.

"Steven?" Pearl whispered.

"Hmm… P… Pearl?" Steven murmured as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh Steven!" Pearl cried in relief and happiness as she hugged Steven tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"Pearl… I'm… I'm sorry if I…" Steven said as he hugged her back, sobbing lightly.

"Shhhhh… it's ok Steven, you are safe now…" Pearl whispered as she buried her face in his hair.

"D-do you think that this will stop me?! There is nothing you can do!" Jasper screamed as she slowly got up.

"Yes… there is something we can do…" Garnet said before punching Jasper in her face, making her step back.

"This is for Steven…" Garnet said as she rushed towards Jasper.

Lapis laid gently by Steven's side and knelt in front of him. Pearl raised her head and smiled to her.

"Thank you… thank you, thank you, thank you…" Pearl said as she gently released Steven and took Lapis in a strong embrace.

Lapis eyes went wide but after some moments she smiled and hugged Pearl back, as Steven slowly got up and moved towards her.

"Lapis! You are ok!" Steven yelled in joy.

"Yes, thanks to you Steven…" Lapis smiled as she caressed Steven's hair and hugged him.

"You can't beat me!" Jasper roared as she tried to punch Garnet.

Garnet dodged her attack and tried to hit Jasper with an uppercut, but as she tried to strike her, Jasper took her arm and threw Garnet to the ground. Garnet tried to get up but Jasper kicked her in the stomach.

"I must help her…" Lapis said releasing Steven, making her wings appear, flying to Garnet.

Steven looked at her as she flew away, but then, as he lowered his gaze he notice Peridot, she had one of her fingers placed in the middle of the wailing stone's hole and with the others had formed her holographic interface, Steven got up and began to ran towards her.

"Steven no! Come back!" Pearl yelled as she stretched an arm towards him, but he had already reached Peridot.

"Peridot!" Steven yelled as he stopped a few meters away from her.

"D-don't come near to me…I-I'll send this message and you can't stop me!" Peridot yelled, her voice trembling.

"Please Peridot! You don't have to do this!" Steven yelled as she shook her head.

"Yes I have to! I have to… they… they will kill me if I don't… I'll send this message, you and your friends will perish and I'll forget about you!" Peridot screamed.

"You don't have to be afraid of them! I will protect you!" Steven said, taking a step forwards.

"D- don't move…" Peridot muttered in fear.

"Please… let me help you… I know you can be better than this…" Steven said, smiling slightly.

Steven reached her, but as he stretched his arm towards her a white spear flew a few inches over his head and stabbed Peridot's chest… and as she fell backwards, Peridot accidentally touched her holographic screen… sending the message she had recorded…

"No! Pearl what have you done!" Steven screamed turning towards her, before kneeling by Peridot's side, raising gently her head. She opened slightly her eyes and looked at Steven, a small tear running down her check.

"I-I'm s-sor-" Peridot managed to say, before disappearing into clouds.

"I know…" Steven whispered, taking in his hands Peridot's gem, keeping it to his chest.

"Steven are you ok?!" Pearl asked as she reached him and kneeled down in front of him.

"Why did you do that!" Steven yelled angrily.

"She was going to send a message to Homeworld! I stopped her!" Pearl said in a defensive tone of voice.

"No she wasn't! You hit her and she sent it accidentally!" Steven shouted, getting up.

"W- what?" Pearl asked in disbelief.

"She was listening to me! She was going to stop but you ruined everything! Why don't you believe in me?!" Steven yelled.

"S-Steven… I-" Pearl said as she extended her hand towards him, but got slapped away.

"Don't touch me… I must help the others…" Steven said before turning to the others, running towards them.

"Steven don't go! Please… don't hate me! Forgive me!" Pearl said, getting up as she rushed towards the others.

Jasper had her foot on Garnet's chest, she looked at her with a wicked grin and began to raise her foot in the air, ready to smash Garnet.

"Say goodbye you little-" Jasper was cut off by a chain of water which tangled her leg and pulled her to the ground.

Jasper looked behind her and saw Lapis with her arms stretched towards her. She took the chain and ripped it, then she got up and began to rush towards her. Lapis formed a water wall in front of her, but Jasper charged at it with her helmet and managed to break it down. Lapis tried to fly away but Jasper took her by her leg and pulled her to the ground. She punched her in the face and as Lapis hit the ground, Jasper kicked her in the head. Lapis tried to get up but fell to the ground, strenghtless, her vision blurry . Jasper grabbed her by her hair and raised her in the air.

"You should have stayed where that little freak hid you!" Jasper roared as she was ready to strike Lapis one last time.

Jasper raised her fist but, as she was going to strike, she felt something being wrapped around her arm. She looked in bewilderment at her wrist and saw a black whip wrapped around it. She turned around and saw the Crystal Gems standing a few meters away from her. Steven took a step forwards.

"Jasper please, stop this!" Steven said as Jasper began to pull Amethyst's whip.

"Shut up! Maybe your whining had changed that dirty green roach, but as soon as I'll free myself, I'll crush you all under my foot, I don't care what 'she' is going to say! I'll make you watch while I'll destroy everyone you love and you won't be able to stop me, because you are just a pathetic, weak human and you'll never be like your mother!" Jasper shouted in rage as she tried to rip Amethyst's whip.

"Maybe you are right…" Steven said looking down, as an evil grin appeared on Jasper's face, but soon that grin disappeared, as a bright light came from under Steven's t-shirt.

"Maybe I'm not as strong as my mom was… but as long as I and my family will stay together, no one will ever tear us apart!" Steven yelled as… suddenly… his shield appeared…

"I won't let you hurt the ones I love!" Steven yelled as he threw his shield to Jasper.

Taking advantage of the moment, as Steven threw his shield, Pearl raised her spear and threw it at Jasper. In the same moment, Amethyst sent a powerful wave of energy along her whip, which was still tangled around Jasper's wrist and Garnet shot her gauntlets towards her. Jasper didn't have enough time to react and as Steven, Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet's blows hit her, a large cloud of sand rose into the air. The gems watched carefully as the cloud of sand began to dissipate, but their eyes widened in horror as they noticed a large figure emerging from it.

"Is… this… all what… you've got?!" Jasper said, gritting her teeth, as she fell on her knee.

"H- how is this possible?!" Pearl exclaimed as Jasper began to stand up.

"You… you'll have to… do better than this if… ugh…" Jasper tried to stand up but suddenly… she fell again.

"Wha- what?!" Jasper cried in frustration as she tried to get up, but fell once more. She barely stood on her knee and began to breath frenetically.

"Her… gem…" Steven said looking at Garnet with an astonished expression.

"What did you…" Jasper began to talk, but soon she stopped, as she looked at her gem, and noticed that there was something wrong… the tip of her nose was missing…


	14. Chapter 14: The beginning of the end

**CHAPTER 14: THE BEGINNING OF THE END**

"You… you'll have to… do better than this if… ugh…" Jasper tried to stand up but suddenly… she fell again.

"Wha- what?!" Jasper cried in frustration as she tried to get up, but fell once more. She barely stood on her knee and began to breath frenetically.

"Her… gem…" Steven said looking at Garnet with an astonished expression.

"What did you…" Jasper began to talk, but soon she stopped, as she looked at her gem, and noticed something wrong… the tip of her nose was missing…

"You… you damn… disgusting… filthy traitors!" Jasper screamed as she pointed them, but soon a scream of terror came from her… as she noticed that her hand was slowly dissipating into nothing.

"D-do you think it's over?! S-she's coming! She w-will come and… kill you all, an-and you won't be able to anything about it!" She yelled as she tried to stand up again.

Jasper finally got up, her body was trembling but even now, she wouldn't give up. She began to walk towards them faster and faster until, in a last attempt to destroy the ones she despised, she charged at them with all the strength she had left. Seeing Jasper charging at them, Steven promptly summoned a protective bubble around them and closed his eyes, waiting Jasper to strike them, but slowly, he opened his eyes, realizing that the only thing that hit his bubble, was a small… cracked… orange gem… nothing more…

"Lapis!" Steven yelled as he ran towards Lapis, who was laying on the ground, not moving.

Steven reached her and kneeled down next to her, he raised her head, gently shaking her.

"Please Lapis, answer me…" Steven whispered, but no answer came from her.

"Lapis… please… don't go… stay here with me… r-remember? We are beach summer fun buddies for the life… remember… please… talk to me…" Steven said as he leaned down and connected his forehead with hers, tears starting to stream down her face.

"S-Steven?" Lapis murmured as she slightly opened her eyes.

"Lapis!" Steven yelled in joy as he hugged her.

Slowly, Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet reached them; Garnet bubbled away the remains of Jasper's gem and then, they helped Steven taking Lapis to the house. They gently leaned her on Steven's couch then, Garnet began to walk towards the temple's door, Pearl and Amethyst following her. Amethyst entered her room but before Garnet could enter hers, Pearl stopped her.

"Garnet… you won't let him keep Peridot's gem aren't you? If the 'she' Jasper was talking about is who I suspect she is, then we can't take any other risks!" Pearl whispered as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

Garnet stopped walking and sighed, she then turned towards Steven who was still talking to Lapis. She reached him and began to talk.

"Steven… you should let her rest now…" Garnet said as Steven nodded and hugged Lapis one more time before going to his bedroom.

"Thank you…" Garnet said as Lapis smiled weakly and closed her eyes.

"Steven…" Garnet called him as she reached his room.

"Yes Garnet?" Steven asked as he sat on his bed.

"Peridot's gem…" Garnet said as she kneeled down in front of him.

"No! Please Garnet! I know you think she's bad, but she's not! Please don't bubble her! Ple-" Steven pleaded but stopped as Garnet placed her finger on his lips, a little smile on her face.

"I was going to say that you can keep her…" Garnet said as a huge smile appeared on Steven's face.

"Thank you so much Garnet, you are awesome!" Steven said as he hugged her tightly.

"Now, go to bed Steven, it's late…" Garnet said as Steven got under his blanket.

"Goodnight Garnet…" Steven said as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Steven…" Garnet answered, kissing slightly his forehead.

"Are you really making him keep her?!" Pearl hissed as Garnet reached her near the temple's door.

"He trust her, and I trust him, you should do the same…" Garnet said as she disappeared into her room.

Pearl murmured something under her breath as she entered her room, leaving Steven and Lapis to their rest.

"Goodnight Peridot…" Steven murmured as he kept her gem close to his chest, slowly falling asleep.

**Meanwhile, on Homeworld:**

In a dark, great chamber, a tall gem was sitting on a throne, she had long, pointy, yellow hair, on her forehead was placed a black diadem with three yellow gems nestled in it, she wore a bright yellow cape and under it, a black armor with a shining, pentagonal yellow gem nestled in her chest; she was listening to a message that a technician gem sent to her personally.

"This is Peridot, reporting the failure of the mission, both the objectives of our task, eliminate the remains of Rose Quartz's rebellion and reactivate the Kindergarten, hadn't been accomplished. The rebels managed to destroy our ship and obtain the loyalty of the gem escaped from earth one year ago, Lapis Lazuli, we are outnumbered and require assistance, I report the presence of a defective Pearl, an Amethyst, a fusion between a Ruby and a Sapphire, and Rose Qua- Peridot!" The message was interrupted.

Slowly, the tall gem stood up from her throne and went in front of a great glass window, she began to titter as she looked at the infinity of stars in front of her.

"And so… my old friend… you survived… then… it will be my pleasure to fix this…" The mysterious gem said as she walked through a long corridor.

She reached an enormous room, where a giant, yellow, pyramid shaped, space ship was floating above the floor. She began to walk towards it but as she was going to reach it, another gem stepped in front of her; she was slightly taller than her, she had gray, pointy long hair and was wearing a black corsage, in her chest, a great, pentagonal white diamond was embedded.

"Stand aside…" The yellow one said, but the gray one didn't move.

"You know what you'll find there…" The gray gem said crossing her arms.

"Yes… my revenge…" The first one answered.

"No… your death…" The gray gem said stoically as she pointed the first one.

"You underestimate my power…" The yellow gem said.

"I saw it… your lust for revenge… will lead you to oblivion…" The gray one said.

"Stand aside… now!" The yellow gem cried as her gem began to glow.

The gray gem sighed heavily and moved aside, as the yellow gem entered the great ship. As it began to rose in the air, the ceiling of the great chamber began to open. The gray gem looked at it for some moments and then, turned around and began to walk away.

"Farewell… sister…" The gray gem said, before disappearing from the room.

**Hello guys! Sorry if I haven't updated three days ago but I had to leave for the Expo manifestation at Milan, and there I couldn't update anything, however I hope you have liked this chapter and the story so far, thank you for all the follows, favs and reviews, you have become so many guys! Thank you really much, it means a lot to me, I love you all, and to the ones who wanted Jasper to survive I want to ask sorry, but I have been planning her departure since the beginning of the story, I know that it would have been beautiful to see everyone becoming friends, but it is simply impossible, Jasper is nothing more than a cruel, heartless creature, stubborn and merciless, I hope you'll understand my choice and… well… see you in the next chapter! **


	15. Chapter 15: The calm before the storm

**CHAPTER 15: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM**

"Goodnight Garnet…" Steven said as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Steven…" Garnet answered, kissing slightly his forehead.

"Are you really making him keep her?!" Pearl hissed as Garnet reached her near the temple's door.

"He trust her, and I trust him, you should do the same…" Garnet said as she disappeared into her room.

Pearl murmured something under her breath as she entered her room, leaving Steven and Lapis to their rest.

"Goodnight Peridot…" Steven murmured as he kept her gem close to his chest, slowly falling asleep.

**Inside of the temple:**

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!" Pearl screamed in frustration as she began to walk in circles.

"Pearl… you need to calm down…" Garnet talked rather calmly.

"Yeah P, calm down, we won!" Amethyst said crossing her arms.

"WON?! DO YOU KNOW WHO IS COMING?!" Pearl screamed but calmed down as Garnet placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Who is coming?" Amethyst asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"The gem who choose to use Earth to enlarge our species… one of the first gems ever existed and one of the most powerful… one of the three Homeworld's leaders…" Garnet said as she removed her hands from Pearl's shoulders and turned towards Amethyst.

"Well… we… we defeated Jasper… we'll defeat her too!" Amethyst said as she clenched her fists.

"I fear it won't be so simple Amethyst… even if this gem will come to us alone… we won't be able to defeat her…" Pearl said as sat down and hide her face between her knees.

"What?! But… but we are four! And Lapis will help us too! How is it possible…" Amethyst stopped talking as Garnet kneeled down in front of her.

"Amethyst… listen to me… I know that you may think that this is impossible… but we saw it… Rose merely managed to defeat her and not without losing many of the gems who decided to follow her… the power of a mother gem… goes beyond human and simple gems imagination… we must evacuate the city… and Steven has to escape… if 'she' will find him…" Garnet said as she looked down.

"You know that you won't be able to make him go away…" Amethyst said as she turned away, crossing her arms.

"Garnet… please… tell me there is a future in which Steven survives… please…" Pearl almost yelled as she stood up.

Garnet stood up and turned towards Pearl, she looked at her for some moments, without saying anything, then, she lowered her head. Tears began to stream down Pearl's cheeks as she ran towards the temple's door and went out from Garnet's room.

"What are we going to do?" Amethyst said as she looked at Garnet, her eyes full of terror.

"I… don't know…" Garnet whispered.

**Outside the temple:**

Pearl sat by Steven's bed side, staring at him, sobbing slightly, she looked at him and smiled, he looked so peaceful, this is one of the things Pearl admired most of Rose and Steven, even if they knew that nothing would have been beautiful and peaceful forever, they always lived their life happily, enjoying every moment of it. Pearl loved Steven more than anyone else and even if she knew that against who was coming she wouldn't have been able to do anything, she knew that she would have given her own life to protect him.

"Oh Steven…" Pearl whispered as she gently caressed Steven's hair.

"Hmmm… Pearl?" Steven whispered as he slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry Steven… I… I didn't mean to wake you up…" Pearl said as she stood up from Steven's bed and began to walk away, but Steven grabbed her by her hand.

"Pearl… are you crying?" Steven asked, becoming worried.

"No, no… it's ok…" Pearl said not facing him, she didn't want him to become scared.

"Pearl…" Steven said as he stood up from his bed and embraced her legs from behind.

"I'm sorry for what I said before… you just wanted to protect me and I… now it's my fault if you're sad…" Steven said as Pearl turned around, kneeled down and hugged him tightly.

"No Steven! It's not your fault! It's me the one who should be apologizing, you were trying to help Peridot and I ruined everything, maybe she was really changed but I was too angry to see it, my hatred towards the Homeworld gems blinded me… forgive me Steven…" Pearl said as she buried her face in Steven's hair.

"I love you Pearl… I could never stay mad at you… especially if what you are apologizing for is the fact that you only wanted to protect me…" Steven said as he looked at Pearl in the eyes.

"I love you too Steven, and I promise I won't ever let anyone hurt you…" Pearl said smiling as she gently laid her hand on Steven's cheek.

"And I promise that I won't ever leave you, I'll always be strong for you, Garnet and Amethyst…" Steven said he hugged her one last time.

"I know Steven… now… go to sleep… it's late…" Pearl said as she stood up and covered Steven with his blanket.

"My Steven…" Pearl whispered, smiling, looking at him one last time before turning away.

Night passed quietly until a noise made Steven wake up. He opened his eyes and raised his head. Steven noticed that the house's door was open. Slowly, he stood up and descended his bedroom's ladder. He closed the door but as he turned around he noticed that Lapis wasn't on the couch… Becoming worried about her, Steven opened the door and went outside. As he looked at the beach he sighed in relief as he saw Lapis, who was sitting on the sand. He went down the stairs and began to approach her.

"Lapis?" Steven called her.

"S-Steven?" Lapis muttered as she turned around quickly.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…" Steven said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It's ok Steven…" Lapis said as she turned away.

"What are you doing here?" Steven asked as he moved in front of her.

"I could ask you the same… shouldn't you be sleeping?" Lapis said not looking at him.

"I didn't see you in the house and I became worried…" Steven said sounding a little bit hurt by Lapis's reply.

"Well… you don't need to worry… everything is fine…" Lapis said as she hugged her knees and kept her head low.

"Lapis… I know that there's something that is bothering you… you know that you can talk to-" Steven was cut off.

"I said… there is nothing that is bothering me…" Lapis hissed between her teeth as she closed her eyes, but soon they became wide as she felt a pair of hands on her cheeks, raising gently her head.

"Please Lapis… I'm your friend… let me help you…" Steven said gently.

Lapis gritted her teeth as tears began to stream down her face. Suddenly she leapt at him and embraced him.

"I'm so scared Steven… scared by what could happen to you and to me… if 'she' will find us… I know that she won't just kill us… trust me… I have experienced it on my own skin…" Lapis whispered, sobbing slightly.

"Well… you don't need to be scared… I'll protect you! I promise that whoever is coming to us won't be able to hurt you again…" Steven said, causing Lapis to giggle lightly.

"Thank you Steven… you are really brave… I don't know what I could do without you…" Lapis said, releasing him from her embrace.

Steven stretched his hand towards her, smiling at her. Lapis looked at him, smiling back at him and after some moments she grabbed his hand. Steven and Lapis began to walk towards the house, the first knowing that soon, he would have had to be strong for the ones he loved most, the second knowing that as long as they would have stayed together, protecting each other, nothing would have ever hurt them.

**Hello guys! Here it is, chapter fifteen, I hope you have liked it, I just wanted to do a chapter based on Pearl and Steven forgiving each other before their inevitable death... nah just kidding... or maybe not? However, thank you really much for all the reviews, favs and follows, I think I'll write about three chapters before the final one, just wanted to let you know, oh and yes, the gem rappresented in the screen file is how I think Yellow Diamond is, I drew it by myself in order to give a hint about who would have been the main antagonist of the story; before leaving you I just wanted to thank Emily for her appreciation, nah, I'm not so good at writing, stop, you make me blush, I'm really glad that you, like the other readers, are enjoying my little fanfic, thank you really much for having shared it with your friends, and no, I don't have so much experience, I'm just a seventeen years old boy who had been writing tales for competitions for three years... bye, see you in the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: Saying goodbye

**CHAPTER 16: SAYING GOODBYE**

One day had passed since the gems decided to evacuate the city, everyone was preparing in order to leave as soon as possible but not Greg, he knew that his son would have never left Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet alone, but he also knew that he couldn't have just abandon his son to his destiny, without trying to save him. He knew that Steven was strong and that he managed to protect his family countless times, he believed in him but still, he was afraid, afraid of losing the person that he loved most, the last part of what he considered family. Everyone was leaving when, suddenly, Greg stopped his van right in front of the temple. He began to walk towards the house but as he was going to reach the ladder, Steven opened the door and ran down it, reaching him and hugging him.

"Dad! What are you doing here?! You should be leaving like the rest of the people! It's dangerous to stay here!" Steven yelled as he released him.

"I know… that's why I'm taking you with me…" Greg said sternly.

"What?!" Steven shouted as he took a step back.

"Please Steven… you… you don't understand… the one who's coming… your mother told me about her… you have never met someone like her…" Greg replied as he kneeled down and put his hands on Steven's shoulders.

"Maybe you are right but… but I'll talk to her! I'll… make her understand that what she had tried to do is wrong… I-" Steven was cut off by his father.

"Don't you understand Steven?! This isn't one of your books in which everything is going to be just fine… this is the real world! And in the real world, there are bad people, Steven, people that don't care about other's lives… people that would do anything in order to obtain what they want… people that can't change…" Greg said looking straight in Steven's eyes.

"Dad… I know that you love me and that you are just trying to help me but… even if what you are saying is true… I can't leave my family alone… not now… mom would have never abandoned them… please…" Steven said as Greg hugged him tightly.

"Please… be careful… I can't lose you too…" Greg whispered as, slowly, he released Steven.

"Don't worry dad… I'll be ok…" Steven said as his father smiled weakly and stood up.

Greg began to drive away, he looked one last time at the temple before leaving Beach City, he closed his eyes and sighed heavily as the temple disappeared from his gaze.

"Please Rose… protect our son…" Greg quietly whispered to himself, before reaching the other cars.

Steven watched as his father's van disappeared from his sight, then, slowly, he turned away and began to climb the stairs, but as he heard someone calling his name, he turned around and saw a young, dark haired girl running towards him. As she reached him, she leapt at him and hugged him.

"Connie?!" Steven said in disbelief as he began to hear the little girl sobbing slightly.

"Connie… are… are you ok?" Steven said as Connie faced him, tears streaming down her face.

"No! I'm not ok! They are going to come and try to hurt you again and you just text me 'Probably Homeworld gems are coming, don't come here it could be dangerous', then you turn off your phone?!" Connie yelled as she punched Steven in the arm.

"Ouch! I knew you would have tried to convince me not to stay here and I couldn't bear to hear you crying…" Steven said as he lowered his head.

"You are an idiot! Do you know how worried I was?!" Connie cried as she clenched her fists to her sides.

"Please Connie… I'm sorry… hey… wait a moment… how did you get here?" Steven asked as he noticed that Connie's parents weren't near.

"When you didn't call me back I asked my mom and dad to take me here but they wouldn't listen to me, they said that, having heard about Beach City's evacuation, it could have been dangerous, they sent me to my room… but I couldn't just sit on my bed knowing that you are risking your life…" Connie said as she looked away, lowering her tone.

"Connie… you… escaped?" Steven asked in bewilderment, as Connie looked at him smiling shyly.

"Your parents are surely worried a lot about you and I know that, surely, soon they'll be here!" Steven said as he placed his hands on Connie's shoulders.

"I don't care!" Connie yelled as she smacked Steven's hands away.

"Connie you know that they love you!" Steven said as Connie, suddenly, hugged him tightly.

"And you know that I…" Connie stopped talking, but after some moments, she spoke again.

"That I… love you…" Connie said as Steven hugged her back.

"I love you too Connie… and that's why I can't let anything bad happen to you…" Steven said as he wiped some tears from her face.

"CONNIE!" Connie's mom shouted as she began to reach them.

"You have to go…" Steven said smiling weakly.

"I don't want…" Connie whispered, still sobbing.

"I promise this isn't the last time we hug each other…" Steven whispered softly as he kissed her slightly on her forehead and let her go.

Connie began to walk towards her mother, when she reached her, instead of hearing her mother yelling and scolding him, she felt herself being hugged tightly, they began to walk towards Connie's mom car but before reaching it, Connie turned around and waved goodbye to Steven, trying to smile. Steven smiled her back and waved his hand, before turning around. He was at the top of the stairs when, suddenly, he heard a rumble coming from above. As he entered the house, Steven saw the temple's door opening, Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet coming out from it.

"Steven! Are you ok?!" Pearl said as she reached him.

"Yes… I'm ok, what was that?" Steven said looking worried.

"It must be her…" Lapis almost whispered as she stood up from the couch.

"Steven… enter the temple… you'll be safe in your mother's room…" Garnet said as she kneeled down.

"What?! No!" Steven almost shouted.

"Steven… you must-" Garnet tried to talk but Steven cut her off.

"No! Listen… I know you are just trying to protect me… but I could never leave you alone guys… even if it means to risk my life I'll never stop protecting you…" Steven said as Garnet smiled slightly.

"Steven… you… you don't have to do this…" Pearl said, her throat becoming dry, her eyes watering.

"It is what mom would have done for you, she loved you all and so do I… I's what I have and what I want to do…" Steven said smiling at her.

Steven went to his bedroom and put Peridot's gem in his pocket, then, he opened the door and alongside Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and Lapis, he began to descend the ladder. Suddenly, a portal appeared on the beach and from it, a furry, pink creature appeared. Steven ran in front of him and as he reached him, he hugged his soft mane.

"Lion! You came here to help us!" Steven yelled as Lion looked up at the sky and began to growl.

He began to approach Steven and, as he reached him, like if he knew what was going to happen, his mane began to glow as a pink hilt appeared from it. Steven looked for a moment at the hilt, then, he grabbed it and pulling gently, he pulled out from Lion's mane his mother's sword. Indeed, Steven was scared, but he couldn't allow his fear to control him, he had to be strong, strong for the ones he cared for, otherwise he could have lost them. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, after some moments he opened his eyes but there was no fear in them, not anymore. He looked at Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Lapis, he looked at the ones he loved most and as his gem began to glow of a bright, pink light… his shield appeared. Everyone stared at Steven in amazement,he was standing there, with no fear in his eyes, wielding his mother's sword and shield.

"Your mother would be so proud of you Steven…" Pearl said softly, smiling slightly at him.

But those smiles soon faded away as a bright, yellow light began to appear above the clouds. The time seemed to stop as they began to see an enormous, pyramid shaped ship coming down from the sky and stopping a few feet above the sea.

"Gems! Be ready! None of the enemies we had fought since now has ever had a so much great power like the one of this gem!" Garnet yelled summoning her gauntlets.

As a bright bridge began to extend from the ship to the beach, the gems summoned their weapons, ready to face their enemy. A tall figure began to came out from the bright light emanated by the ship. The tall gem stepped over the bridge and when she placed her feet on the beach… everyone took a step back.

"Yellow Diamond…" Garnet whispered, gritting her teeth.

**Hello guys! Sorry for the re-update but I noticed that the ending of this chapter was too much rushed, I also wanted you to know that within two days I'll post chapter seventeen, so be ready for the final battle, thank you for all the reviews, favs ad follows, oh my God, you have become so many! Almost one hundred! I hope I'll reach that quote for the end of this story and I also hope you'll enjoy how I decided this story to end. Bye, to the next chapter! **


	17. Chapter 17: Becoming what we fear most

**CHAPTER 17: BECOMING WHAT WE FEAR MOST **

"Gems! Be ready! None of the enemies we had fought since now has ever had a so much great power like the one of this gem!" Garnet yelled summoning her gauntlets.

As a bright bridge began to extend from the ship to the beach, the gems summoned their weapons, ready to face their enemy. A tall figure began to came out from the bright light emanated by the ship. The tall gem stepped over the bridge and when she placed her feet on the beach… everyone took a step back.

"Yellow Diamond…" Garnet whispered, gritting her teeth.

Yellow Diamond, the gem who started the war against Rose Quartz, the murderer of countless humans and gems, was right in front of them. She stepped over the beach and stopped a few meters away from the gems. She looked at them and as a twisted grin appeared on her face, a small, devilish giggle came from her mouth.

"I can feel your fear, your terror, your weakness, how pathetic, after all what had happened, this is the remains of Rose Quartz's great rebellion? A dysfunctional drone, a little bundle of aberrant behaviors and a pathetic, weak fusion? I really don't understand what your leader had seen in you, I hoped to face someone worthy of my time. Now, Rose, don't hide behind your soldiers like the last time we met, it's something out of your possibilities in this moment…" Yellow Diamond said before a blue figure who was standing behind the gems caught her attention.

"Ah… Lapis Lazuli… a unique gem… born from the very single tear my dear sister has ever shed… what are you doing there dear? You are not one of them, you are one of us… now… come here, you don't want what had happened six thousand years ago to you, to happen again, don't you?" Yellow Diamond said looking straight at Lapis, smirking evilly.

Lapis looked at her with wide eyes for a moment, then, she lowered her head, gritting her teeth, her eyes watering, as her mind began to travel back in the past, a past she would have given almost everything she had to forget.

**Six thousand years before, on Homeworld:**

In a dark room, a small, blue gem, was curled up on the floor, her eyes full of tears, her face hidden between her legs. Suddenly, the door of her room opened and a tall gem, with long, pointy, blue hair, dressed in a light blue cape edged in black with a great, blue diamond embedded in her chest, walked slowly towards her. As she reached the smaller gem, she kneeled down and began to caress her back.

"Lapis… why are you crying my dear?" The tall gem asked in a soft tone of voice.

"I… I can't mother… I can't…" Lapis whispered remaining motionless.

"What?" The other gem asked, as suddenly, Lapis leapt at her and hugged her tightly and buried her face in the taller gem's chest.

"I can't face the war… the war against her… I can't bear to watch countless of my sisters die… and for what?! A piece of rock! How can she kill her sisters for something so pathetic!" Lapis hissed between her teeth, but soon her anger disappeared as the other gem took her chin between her fingers and raised her head.

"It is true, my little Lapis… Rose is fighting for something that someone could see as something valueless… everyone cares for something and would do anything to protect it… Rose would kill to protect the Earth and its inhabitants… I would kill to protect you…" The taller gem said as she looked at Lapis straight in her eyes.

"Wh-what can I do mother?" Lapis said as the other gem cupped her face with her hands.

"Fight Lapis… fight for the ones you care for… fight for me Lapis… your power is unimaginable… use it… use it against her Lapis… destroy Rose… destroy the one who is making you, me and all our people suffer…" The tall gem whispered in her hear.

"B-but…" Lapis muttered, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't you love me Lapis?" The other asked as she wiped Lapis's tears.

"O-of course…" Lapis said as the other gem helped her up.

"Then… do it Lapis… for your people and for me… maybe you think you are not strong… but you are strong Lapis… I'm a diamond… but even I couldn't defeat you… not with the great power that only you have… save us Lapis…" The tall gem said as she embraced Lapis one last time, before she went out of her room.

**On Earth:**

"Rose!" Pearl yelled as she ran in front of the tall, pink gem.

"Pearl? What's happening?" Rose asked as she placed her hand on Pearl's shoulder.

"Rose, many of our allies sent us disturbed messages telling that something was attacking them! We are losing contact with all the outposts on Earth! Something is attacking us and whatever it is… it's getting closer!" Pearl panicked as she looked around frenetically.

"It's here already…" Rose said as she closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

"W-what?" Pearl asked in disbelief.

"Pearl… go in the temple…" Rose said as she turned around towards the ocean.

"But… Rose…" Pearl said stretching her hand towards her.

"Pearl… whoever is coming… is coming for me… and if her power is as great as I think… then you'll better go inside of the temple…" Rose said without turning around.

"But… I want to help you…" Pearl said as Rose turned around and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I know Pearl, I know you want to help me, but I could never forgive myself if something bad happened to you…" Rose said smiling slightly at Pearl.

Pearl gave Rose a weak smile before turning around and disappearing in the temple. Rose turned around and looked at the ocean as a blue figure began to emerge from it. Rose approached the figure as it did the same, flying towards her. She stopped a few meters away from the blue gem, who was now in front of her, a few meters above the ground.

"Lapis…" Rose said as a saddened look appeared on her face.

**Hello guys! Here it is, chapter seventeen, I hoped you have liked it and I want you to know that I have already written the next two chapters, so I'll post them very soon. I hope you have liked my idea of Lapis's origins, maybe not so plausible, but still, I like it, thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows and well… see you in the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18: Rose's compassion

**CHAPTER 18: ROSE'S COMPASSION**

Pearl gave Rose a weak smile before turning around and disappearing in the temple. Rose turned around and looked at the ocean as a blue figure began to emerge from it. Rose approached the figure as it did the same, flying towards her. She stopped a few meters away from the blue gem, who was now in front of her, a few meters above the ground.

"Lapis…" Rose said as a saddened look appeared on her face.

"Rose Quartz… now you'll pay for what you've done to our people…" Lapis hissed as two great water hands emerged from the sea.

"It wasn't me the one who started this… I wasn't the first one who destroyed a gem's life…" Rose said as she summoned her shield and pulled out her sword from her its scabbard.

"Maybe… but you will be the last to perish…" Lapis said coldly as, raising her hands to the sky, the great water hands did the same.

Lapis lowered her hands and as she did, the water hands came down rapidly, Rose dodged the attack and jumped towards Lapis, she flew to Rose's side just before she could pierce her with her sword. As Rose touched the ground, Lapis raised again her hands and this time, the water hands came into contact and became one. She lowered her hands with all the strength she had and the gigantic water hand began to come down. Rose looked at it and understood that this time, because of the hand's dimension, she couldn't have dodged Lapis's attack, she stretched her arms to her sides just before the hand could hit her and enveloped herself in one of her protective bubbles. As the hand hit her, a great cloud of sand rose in the air. Lapis looked carefully but didn't see anything through the sand. Suddenly, Lapis heard a noise but before she could react, Rose's shield hit her in the head and she fell to the ground. As Lapis regained consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes but as she stood up she heard a piercing sound. Slowly, she lowered her gaze and saw that a pink blade was sticking out from her chest. As Rose pulled out her sword from Lapis's chest, the blue gem began to fall backwards, but before she could hit the ground, she felt two soft arms wrapping around her. Rose kneeled down as she took Lapis between her arms, who began to sob lightly.

"I… j-just w-wanted… all t-the… d-death and… d-destruction… to… s-stop…" Lapis whispered as she noticed that Rose's eyes were full of tears.

"I know Lapis… I know you didn't want this…" Rose said as she smiled softly at Lapis.

"P-please… f-forgive… m-me… I… b-became… what I… f-feared m-most…" Lapis managed to say before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

"I forgive you Lapis…" Rose whispered as she held the tear shaped, blue gem near to her chest.

**The day after:**

Lapis began to open her eyes slowly. As she stood up, she noticed that she wasn't on the beach anymore, she was in her room, on Homeworld, Rose didn't destroy her, she let her free, she spared her life.

"She… she let me go… she spared my life… even after what I have done to her…" Lapis murmured with wide eyes.

Suddenly, the door of her room began to open, a tall gem with yellow, pointy hair, with a black diadem on them, who was wearing a black armor and over it, a yellow cape, began to walk towards the blue gem.

"Yellow Diamond… wh-what happened?" Lapis asked in disbelief.

"We found your gem near to the galaxy warp… what happened on Earth?" Yellow Diamond asked as she approached Lapis.

"I… I tried to destroy Rose Quartz… but she defeated me… she… she could have killed me… but she spared my life…" Lapis said as Yellow Diamond placed her hands on Lapis's shoulder and grinned evilly.

"Perfect! Finally, Rose's compassion became her ruin! You'll return there alongside one of our best battalion and we'll be able to put the word end to her pathetic rebellion!" Yellow Diamond said.

"No…" Lapis said lowering gaze, as an astonished expression appeared on Yellow Diamond's face.

"What?" Yellow Diamond asked, puzzled by Lapis's answer.

"I won't fight against her again… I won't fight Rose after what I have seen… she isn't the monster you made me think she was… I saw the pain she feel every time she has to hurt one of her kind… I destroyed many of her comrades… but she spared my life…" Lapis said as she shook off Yellow Diamond's hands and began to walk towards the door of her room… that before Yellow Diamond grabbed her by the air and lifted her in the air.

"You would dare to disobey one of my orders?!" Yellow Diamond yelled angrily as Lapis struggled to get free.

"Let me go! Mother! Help me!" Lapis screamed as she grabbed Yellow Diamond's wrist.

"If you won't help us… then I'll make sure you won't be a problem for us…" Yellow Diamond said darkly as her gem began to glow.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of Lapis room's door, it was a tall gem, with long, pointy blue hair. The figure entered the room and approached Yellow Diamond, her gem glowing of a bright blue light.

"Ah… Blue Diamond…" Yellow Diamond said, tittering evilly.

"Let her go… now…" Blue Diamond hissed between her teeth.

"She disobeyed the order of one of her leaders… you know how the law works in this case…" Yellow Diamond replied coldly.

"Death is not the only way…" Blue Diamond said.

"Fine… but you will have to do it…" Yellow Diamond said as let Lapis fall to the ground.

Blue Diamond hesitated for some moments, then, she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Her gem stopped glowing and so did the one of Yellow Diamond.

"Let us alone for some moments… please sister…" Blue Diamond asked as Yellow Diamond nodded and went out from the room.

Blue Diamond approached Lapis and kneeled down next to her. She embraced her tightly as Lapis did the same.

"Mother! Rose is not what we thought! She… she is not a monster! I saw it… I don't understand why she cares so much about the Earth… but we can't go on like this… you… you are a diamond! Talk with White Diamond! You can convince her to leave the Earth to Rose! We won't have to fight anymore!" Lapis whined looking straight in Blue Diamond's eyes.

"I knew that Rose would have corrupted you too, I knew you were too young to face her… but I was too blind to see it…" Blue Diamond said with a sad tone of voice.

"Mother, please…" Lapis said as she placed her hand on Blue Diamond's cheek.

Blue Diamond hugged Lapis tightly and as Lapis buried her face in her chest and closed her eyes, she took something out of her cape's sleeve.

"Please, my dear, forgive me, remember that I love you more than anything else…" Blue Diamond said, before placing something on Lapis's back.

Lapis's eyes became wide, and after some moments, she disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Blue Diamond remained motionless as she looked at what she had in her hands. A beautiful, blue mirror… with a tear shaped gem on its back. She held the mirror near to her chest and whispered something.

"I won't ever let anyone hurt you Lapis…" Blue Diamond whispered as she stood up and went out from Lapis's room.

**Hello guys! I guess you didn't expect me to post another chapter so soon, isn't it? Nah, I said it in the last chapter, however, I hope you have liked this chapter and the story so far, I want to thank you for all the appreciation you are giving me, I appreciate it a lot and I hope you'll like the next chapter , it will be posted very soon, so, nothing else to say, bye! **


	19. Chapter 19: Be free, my dear

**CHAPTER 19: BE FREE, MY DEAR**

After one, last, great battle, the armies of Rose managed to defeat the Homeworld's ones. There she stood, at the galaxy warp, Rose Quartz, victorious over the mighty Diamond Authority. She was towering over Yellow Diamond, who was now kneeled down at her feet.

"Damn… you… Rose…" Yellow Diamond muttered as she looked up at Rose, who was now pointing her sword to Yellow Diamond's chest.

"Run to your mistress Yellow Diamond, and say to her that the Earth will never be used for Homeworld's purposes…" Rose replied coldly as Yellow Diamond began to crawl towards the Homeworld warp pad.

"I swear that one day I'll return Rose… I will have my revenge and trust me… that day… you'll lose everything you care for… " Yellow Diamond said before disappearing into the beam of light.

"Quick! Destroy the Homeworld warp pad now! They won't be able to return!" Rose said as a red gem approached the warp pad and made a pair of gauntlets appear.

**On Homeworld:**

"What had happened?!" Blue Diamond yelled as she reached Yellow Diamond at the warp pad.

"We… lost… they are going… to destroy… the warp pad…" Yellow Diamond panted as she tried to stood up.

"We won't be able to reach Earth anymore?" Blue Diamond asked.

"No… not for now…" Yellow Diamond answered.

"Good…" Blue Diamond answered as she pushed Yellow Diamond to the side and ran over the warp pad.

"What are you doing?!" Yellow Diamond cried angrily as Blue Diamond took something out from her cape.

"Be free my dear…" Blue Diamond said before activating the warp pad and placing her hand in the middle of the beam of light.

Yellow Diamond's eyes got wide as she noticed that Blue Diamond had the mirror in which Lapis was imprisoned in her hand. She got up and began to ran towards her and as she was going to reach her, she jumped towards the beam of light but she only managed to scratch the mirror's back before it disappeared into the beam of light.

"What have you done!" Yellow Diamond cried as she looked at Blue Diamond, who was now smiling slightly.

"She is free…" Blue Diamond whispered.

**On Earth:**

"They are coming back!" Rose cried as she saw the warp pad activating.

The red gem raised her gauntlets and then she lowered them with all the strength she had. As they made contact with the warp pad, which was still active, a blinding light came from it as it shattered in many pieces. Rose and the gem looked at each other smiling slightly, then, they walked over a warp pad and disappeared, not noticing that, before the Homeworld's warp pad was destroyed, something fell out from its beam of light.

**The present time:**

"You… you took away from me everything I cared for… but this time… I won't let you hurt the ones I care for… I'D RATHER DIE THAN JOIN YOU!" Lapis screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Yellow Diamond looked at her, grinning evilly, in fact, that was the only thing she wanted to hear from the little blue gem who always managed to make her sister become softer, weaker. Suddenly, before she could say anything, a bright green light caught her attention.

"Oh no, not now!" Steven said as he tried to keep Peridot's gem inside his pocket.

After some moments, Steven couldn't resist anymore and let the gem float out of his pocket. It rose in the air as Peridot body's shape began to form around it. After her body appeared, Peridot fell on the ground. Before the gems could stop him, Steven ran beside her and helped her getting up. Peridot looked at him holding her head, then, as she turned her gaze towards the bright, yellow light that was coming from behind her, her eyes got wide.

"Your highness…" Peridot whispered under her breath, starting to walk towards her, before a hand holding her wrist stopped her.

"Ah, technician, come here, your assistance will be soon rewarded…" Yellow Diamond said, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"No Peridot! Please don't go!" Steven cried holding her.

Peridot looked at Steven for some moments, then she turned her gaze towards her leader. Was she really something more than a simple slave? Was there really someone that cared about her and loved her? Did she really wanted to face the ones she feared most to stay with the only person who ever considered her more than just a tool?

"Technician, I won't repeat myself, come here, immediately…" Yellow Diamond hissed pointing the ground beside her.

"Please… forgive me…" Peridot said as she slapped away Steven's hand and began to walk towards her leader.

Yellow Diamond smiled wickedly as she saw Peridot reaching her, not noticing the small, almost invisible tear that was streaming down the green gem's cheek. Pearl leapt at Steven who was trying to reach Peridot and held him back.

"No! Pearl let me go! I need to help her!" Steven yelled as he tried to break free from her grasp.

"Steven please… there is nothing you can do for her… she choose her side… she doesn't deserve your compassion… now you have to be strong for the ones who still are with you… do you understand?" Pearl said as she turned Steven towards her and made him watch her in the eyes.

"Yes…" Steven said as he lowered his head.

"Technician… where is Rose Quartz?" Yellow Diamond asked as she turned towards Peridot.

"Y-your hi-highness… R- Rose Quartz… sh-she isn't… she isn't here anym-" Peridot said keeping her gaze low before being lifted in the air by Yellow Diamond, who was now holding her by her neck.

Yellow Diamond tightened her grip as Peridot struggled to get free. She brought the green gem near to her and looked at her with those wicked, glowing, yellow eyes.

"I'm sorry… I think I didn't hear what you just said… could you repeat yourself please?" Yellow Diamond said as Peridot began to tremble.

"Pl-please… your highness… d-don't k-kill m-me… i-it wasn't my fault… d-during th-the recording of th-the message… I-I have b-been interrupted… please…" Peridot whispered as tears began to stream down her face.

Yellow Diamond looked at her for some moments with disgust, then, she let her fall to the ground. She despised all the forms of weakness, especially, she despised the people who pleaded for their lives to be spared.

"I'll ask you one last time… where… is… Rose?" Yellow Diamond asked as Peridot stretched her arm towards the gems, her fingers trembling, and pointed Steven.

**Hello guys! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and the story so far, I think I'll write three chapters more, or maybe four, however, thanks for all the reviews, favs and oh my god more than one hundred people are following my story! That's really a great thing and I can't express how much it is important for me to have your appreciation, really, thanks a lot, I hope you'll like how I'm going to make this story end and well, this is all, see you soon in chapter twenty! **


	20. Chapter 20: The strenght of a diamond

**CHAPTER 20: THE STRENGHT OF A DIAMOND**

Yellow Diamond tightened her grip as Peridot struggled to get free. She brought the green gem near to her and looked at her with those wicked, glowing, yellow eyes.

"I'm sorry… I think I didn't hear what you just said… could you repeat yourself please?" Yellow Diamond said as Peridot began to tremble.

"Pl-please… your highness… d-don't k-kill m-me… i-it wasn't my fault… d-during th-the recording of th-the message… I-I have b-been interrupted… please…" Peridot whispered as tears began to stream down her face.

Yellow Diamond looked at her for some moments with disgust, then, she let her fall to the ground. She despised all the forms of weakness, especially, she despised the people who pleaded for their lives to be spared.

"I'll ask you one last time… where… is… Rose?" Yellow Diamond asked as Peridot stretched her arm towards the gems, her fingers trembling, and pointed Steven.

"What… does… that… mean?" Yellow Diamond hissed looking at Steven.

"R-Rose Q-Quartz… s-she… s-she g-gave up her ph-physical f-form-" Peridot managed to say before Yellow Diamond kicked her in the stomach and placed her foot on her chest.

"Do you think I'm in the mood for jokes?!" Yellow Diamond yelled as she pressed more and more on Peridot's chest.

"P-please mistress! I'm t-telling you t-the truth!" Peridot screamed as she grabbed Yellow Diamond's leg.

"Let her go!" A voice interrupted Yellow Diamond as she raised her gaze from Peridot.

"Steven, no! Stay behind us!" Pearl hissed as she tried to hold Steven back.

Pearl grabbed Steven by his shoulder but this time he managed to break free from her grasp and took a few steps towards Yellow Diamond. Her expression suddenly changed from an enraged one to a puzzled one as the little creature who dared to interrupt her walked towards her with no fear in his eyes. It was true, Steven was scared, who wouldn't have been? In front of him, there wasn't a simple gem, in front of him stood one of the most powerful gems of Homeworld, one of its leaders, the one who started the war against her mother, but, even if he was scared, he couldn't let his fear take possess of him, he couldn't let her hurt Peridot, somewhere in her, Steven could still see some light, he knew that she didn't want to obey Yellow Diamond, but she was too afraid to fight against her, that's why he needed to be strong, even for her.

"She's not lying!" Steven said as Yellow Diamond removed her foot from Peridot's chest and walked towards him and the gems, who immediately summoned their weapons.

"Who are you, human?" Yellow Diamond asked.

"I'm Steven Quartz Universe… Rose Quartz's son…" Steven said as he lifted his shirt, revealing the gem embedded in his belly button.

"Steven are you insane?! What are you doing!" Pearl yelled as she gripped tightly her spear.

"This… this… can't be…" Yellow Diamond said in disbelief, her eyes wide as she saw Rose Quartz's gem embedded in Steven's navel.

"Rose Quartz was my mom, she gave up her physical form to give me birth, I'm the one you are looking for, so leave Peridot alone…" Steven said as he looked straight in Yellow Diamond's eyes.

"Those… eyes… that… pitiful... disgusting compassion for weak beings like her…" Yellow Diamond said as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Rose Quartz, her worst enemy, the only one who ever managed to defeat her, the one who made her crawl to her feet, managed to escape from her, and this time, she managed to escape from her, forever. She would have never seen her face full of pain, as she pressed her foot on her gem, cracking it slowly.

"In the end, your cowardice saved you…" Yellow Diamond said, starting to titter, but the little creature in front of her, interrupted her once more.

"Take that back! My mother was not a coward! She fought in order to protect what she loved most! Even if it would have meant to fight against her own kind! And you couldn't accept her decision! You were afraid of her! You are the coward!" Steven shouted as a wicked grin appeared on Yellow Diamond's face.

"Oh that fire… Rose… you never left didn't you?" Yellow Diamond said as she began to raise her arm.

"Whatever you are… you will soon encounter the one who created you… and with you… your pathetic friends… oh and don't worry Lapis… you will soon see Blue Diamond again… a mirror in more never hurts…" Yellow Diamond said grinning evilly as Lapis' eyes became wide in horror.

"Y-you are a monster…" Lapis whispered as tears filled her eyes.

Yellow Diamond raised her arm and stretched it towards the gems as her hand began to glow of a bright light. Steven took a few steps back and reached the gems as Yellow Diamond spoke again.

"Rose Quartz, you legacy… ends now!" She yelled as she sent a great bolt of energy from her hand towards the gems.

As the blinding light faded away, Yellow Diamond looked at the great cloud of sand her blow raised in the air and smiled evilly, but soon, her smile faded as she began to notice a pink light. Her eyes got wide as the cloud of sand dissipated, revealing the small creature with Rose's gem, his arms stretched towards her, a great, pink shield in front of him. Soon, the shield disappeared and Steven fell on the ground, his eyes closed.

"So… in addition to her foolishness, you also posses her powers? But you are too weak to use them… pathetic…" Yellow Diamond said tittering as she began to approach Steven.

"DON'T DARE TO TOUCH HIM!" Pearl screamed as she ran past Steven towards her.

"Pearl, no!" Garnet yelled as she saw Yellow Diamond's gem becoming brighter and brighter.

As Pearl reached Yellow Diamond, she jumped in the air and raised her spear. That's when a great, two handed sword appeared in Yellow Diamond's hands. She raised it and parried Pearl's strike. Pearl landed on the ground and began to strike her with all the strength she had, but that devilish gem, seemed to predict all of her moves. Suddenly, Yellow Diamond dodged one of Pearl's attacks and attacked her. Pearl tried to defend herself but as Yellow Diamond's sword came in contact with her spear, it suddenly shattered in pieces as Pearl's eyes widened in horror. She didn't have enough time to react as Yellow Diamond whirled her sword in the air and sliced Pearl trough her chest. Pearl managed to turn around and look for some moments at Garnet, Amethyst and Lapis, before Yellow Diamond kicked her in her back, making her fall to the ground. Pearl disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Garnet, Amethyst and Lapis ran towards her.

"Come and meet your fate, traitors…" Yellow Diamond whispered and she ran towards the gems.

Lapis flew up in the sky, she raised her arms in the air as a great hand of water began to emerge from the sea. Amethyst slashed her whip towards Yellow Diamond and tied her wrist, but as she did it, Yellow Diamond grinned as she pulled the whip and raised Amethyst in the air. She sent her flying towards Lapis and as Amethyst hit her, they both fell to the ground. Amethyst began to stand up but as she rose to her feet, she heard a piercing sound, and as she lowered her gaze, she noticed a yellow blade raising from her chest. She looked for a moment at Lapis who stared at her in horror, then she disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Just surrender Lapis… look around you… you are almost out of allies… you will never be able to beat me… what is the point of fighting something unbeatable? Look at your precious 'friends' Lapis… they are weak… they'll never be as strong as you… they will never give you what you really want… I can…" Yellow Diamond said grinning, as she pointed her sword towards Lapis.

"SHUT… UP!" Lapis screamed as a great hand of water came down over Yellow Diamond's head, trapping her into a cage made of water.

Lapis tried to hold Yellow Diamond in her water prison but she walked towards it without the slightest effort. As the Lapis saw the powerful gem breaking free from her cage, she began to step backwards as she created walls of water in front of her, trying to stop Yellow Diamond from reaching her.

"Lapis… join me… if you join me, I'll give the freedom you have always desired…" Yellow Diamond said as she walked easily through the water walls.

"NEVER!" Lapis screamed in tears as Yellow Diamond leapt at her.

Lapis raised her arm in the air in order to create another wall but as soon as she lowered it, her eyes got wide as she noticed that Yellow Diamond was right in front of her… a yellow sword had pierced her through her stomach… Lapis raised her gaze to match the one of Yellow Diamond…

"You wasted your only opportunity to be free… you are a fool… just like Rose… and her weak creation…" Yellow Diamond said tittering.

"M-maybe… h-he is not… as s-strong as… y-you are… but h-he will n-never be as pathetic as y-you are…" Lapis said as the pain of her face was replaced by a slight grin… that before Yellow Diamond grabbed Lapis by the hair and pulled her towards her through the blade of her sword.

"You'll enjoy looking at my face for the rest of your life…" Yellow Diamond whispered in Lapis' ear.

A moment after that, Lapis disappeared into clouds. Yellow Diamond took the blue gem in her hand, but, suddenly, she dropped it as Garnet leapt at her and punched her in the jaw. Garnet landed on the ground and stroke Yellow Diamond again, this time hitting her in the stomach, then, she jumped and hit her with an uppercut before landing on the sand once more.

"You will pay for what you have done!" Garnet said before she tried to strike Yellow Diamond again.

Before Garnet could hit her again, Yellow Diamond took her by the arm and raised her in the air. Garnet began to kick Yellow Diamond in the head with all the strength she had but she didn't move an inch, she just stood there, holding Garnet, receiving her kicks, with that horrible, wicked, indissoluble smile on her face. After some moments, Yellow Diamond planted her sword in the ground and punched Garnet one, single time… but that was enough for Garnet not moving anymore. Then, she hold Garnet closer and whispered something to her.

"When we'll be on Homeworld… I'll make you watch as I'll crush your precious Sapphire under my foot, Ruby, and I'll do it slowly… enjoying every, single, little moment of her agony…" Yellow Diamond whispered as tears began to stream down Garnet's left cheek.

Yellow Diamond tightened her grip as her hand began to emanate a bright light. Suddenly, a wave of energy crossed Garnet's body and after some moments, cracks began to appear all over her. Yellow Diamond released Garnet and began to walk towards Steven. Garnet hit the ground and managed to look at him.

"Forgive me…" She whispered before disappearing into clouds, leaving Ruby and Sapphire's gems on the beach.

Yellow Diamond reached Steven and looked at him with pure disgust. After some moments, she took him by his shirt and began to walk towards Peridot, who was staring at the ground with wide eyes.

"Technician… take the gems of those filthy traitors and place them inside of the cells of my ship…" Yellow Diamond said as she began to walk over the bridge that was connecting her ship with the beach.

"Wh-what about t-the h-hybrid?" Peridot asked but stepped back as Yellow Diamond stopped walking.

"I have something special in mind for this little freak…" Yellow Diamond said as she entered her ship, her sick laughter becoming more and more distant.


	21. Chapter 21: How it began

**CHAPTER 21: HOW IT BEGAN **

Yellow Diamond reached Steven and looked down at him with pure disgust. After some moments, she took him by his shirt and began to walk towards Peridot, who was staring at the ground with wide eyes.

"Technician… take the gems of those filthy traitors and place them inside of the cells of my ship…" Yellow Diamond said as she began to walk over the bridge that was connecting her ship with the beach.

"Wh-what about t-the h-hybrid?" Peridot asked but stepped back as Yellow Diamond stopped walking.

"I have something special in mind for this little freak…" Yellow Diamond said as she entered her ship, her sick laughter becoming more and more distant.

Peridot began to move slowly towards Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl's gemstones. She took them in her hands and walked over Yellow Diamond ship's bridge. As she reached the entrance, Peridot stopped walking and looked at the gems she had in her hands. She perfectly knew what would have happened to them, on Homeworld, in front of its people, they would have been executed… but Peridot knew that this wasn't what was going to happen to Steven... he was the one who prevented Yellow Diamond from obtaining her revenge against Rose Quartz… and if what she would have done to her was terrible… then… Peridot couldn't even think about what she would have done to him. It was then that Peridot's eyes got wide, as she noticed drops falling over the gemstones in her hands, what baffled her more, was the fact that it wasn't raining, those drops were her tears. She tried to hold them back, she shook her head as hard as she could, but they wouldn't just stop, she couldn't stop crying.

'Why are you even crying?! He is nothing to you!' Peridot thought as she made her way towards the cells, leaving each gem in one of them, activating the force fields.

'H-he is just a-an abomination against o-our kind… j-just a traitor t-to the diamond authority…' She thought as she walked towards the control bridge, as tears continued to stream down her face.

'H-he… he w-was… he was j-just… the only one who ever cared about me…" Peridot thought as she collapsed on her knees, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking.

'He helped you… he saved you… he cared about you… and you… you did… nothing!' Peridot buried her face in her hands, gritting her teeth, why couldn't she just forget about that hybrid?! Why was she feeling this way?! Why did he have to save her?! If she had just let her die nothing of this would have ever happened, so why?!

'I… I can't… do anything… I can't help… I am… too weak… too scared' Peridot thought as she closed her eyes, her shaking stopped and so did the tears, she raised her face from her hands, sighing heavily. After some moments, she rose up, she opened her eyes, and as the door in front of her opened, a whispering voice came out from her mouth.

"You were wrong Steven… there is nothing in me… nothing at all…" Peridot said, before disappearing into the control room.

**In a dark room:**

Steven began to wake up, as he opened his eyes, he tried to move but he couldn't. He began to look around and noticed that three bars were holding him against a metal table. Steven began to panic as he frenetically tried to get free. He pulled as hard as he could, but the bars were too resistant. If only Yellow Diamond had made the mistake to imprison him behind a force field. Suddenly, a bright light enlightened the room as a tall figure began to walk towards him. Yellow Diamond stopped in front of him and as she looked at Steven with those wicked, yellow eyes, full of disdain and hatred, she began speaking.

"Long time ago… far away from this miserable piece of rock… a comet crashed on a desolate planet… that's… when it all began… what came out from that comet seeped deep into the ground… reaching the core of the planet itself… the first thing I remember is darkness… then… a bright light as I came out from my cradle… it is then… that I saw them… three other holes… on my right… on my left… and in front of me… and near them… three beings… who were staring at each other… trying to understand who they were or why they were there… I don't know for how much time we stayed there… just wondering about the meaning of our existence… oh but I remember the first thing I heard… 'I am White Diamond… you are Blue Diamond… you are Yellow Diamond... and you are… Pink Diamond'… time passed as the four of us wandered around our world… realizing everyday more our capacities… our power… we built from nothing our society… understanding what has brought us to life… that is when we became the great Diamond Authority… invincible… unstoppable… immortal… we began to explore the universe around us and found other planets… other creatures… but they were nothing compared to us…nothing more than roaches unable to understand our power… we wandered from planet to planet… using the life of their cores to enlarge the greatness of our kind… but then… one day… we reached a planet called… Earth... and that is when the brightness of our race began to fade… when Pink Diamond betrayed her own kind to protect it…" Yellow Diamond said as Steven's eyes went wide.

"N-no…no! Mom wasn't-" Steven yelled angrily before being cut off by her.

"One of us? Of course she was… oh you should have seen her… killing all those harmless beings… without any regret… without mercy…" Yellow Diamond said smiling evilly.

"You… you are lying! She would have never done that! She wasn't like you!" Steven said lowering his head, tears streaming down his face, before Yellow Diamond grabbed his hair and made him look in her eyes.

"Oh she was even too much like me… but for some reason she saw something in your kind… humans were no different from the other species we had swept away… but... there was something in them… something in this planet that changed her mind… she took away from me my dignity… the respect of my sisters… the loyalty of my… people! And you… you took away from me the revenge I had been waiting for since the end of the war!" Yellow Diamond shouted, before releasing Steven from her grasp.

"W-what have you d-done to Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl?" Steven asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"My technician brought them inside of my ship…" Yellow Diamond replied coldly.

"P-please… you… you have me… l-let them go... d-don't hurt them!" Steven pleaded as a wicked grin appeared on her face.

"Oh I won't hurt them… I have something special in mind for them… and so for you…" Yellow Diamond said tittering, moving her hand towards Steven, placing her index finger on his forehead, as his eyes became wide and a loud scream of pain echoed through the corridors of the ship.

**Hello guys! I'm back with another chapter and I hope you have liked it, plus, I have already written the next part but I didn't want to make a single chapter, so I made two chapters and the next one will be out tomorrow or the day after. I hope you have liked the story so far, thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows and I hope you will like how I decided my story to end, bye!**


	22. Chapter 22: Losing who we are

**CHAPTER 22: LOSING WHO WE ARE**

"W-what have you d-done to my family?" Steven asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"My technician brought them inside of my ship…" Yellow Diamond replied coldly.

"P-please… you… you have me… l-let them go... d-don't hurt them!" Steven pleaded as a wicked grin appeared on her face.

"Oh I won't hurt them… I have something special in mind for them… and so for you…" Yellow Diamond said tittering, moving her hand towards Steven, placing her index finger on his forehead, as his eyes became wide and a loud scream of pain echoed through the corridors of the ship.

**Meanwhile, in the ship's cells:**

"DID YOU HEAR THAT?!" Pearl panicked as she rose to her feet.

"It must be Steven…" Sapphire whispered.

"I swear… if that monster hurt him…" Ruby said as she punched the wall behind her.

"WE… WE HAVE TO GET OUT FROM HERE… WE MUST HELP HIM!" Pearl yelled as she walked back and forth.

"Pearl calm down, you are freaking me out!" Amethyst yelled pulling her hair.

"CALM DOWN?! OUR STEVEN IS IN THE HANDS OF ONE OF THE CRUELEST GEMS OF HOMEWORLD AND I SHOULD CALM DOWN?!" Pearl yelled as she clenched her fists to her sides.

"PEARL!" Sapphire called, making her turn towards her.

"WHAT?!" Pearl shouted as the little, blue gem stood up and looked at her in the eyes.

"SHUT… UP!" Sapphire yelled as everyone assumed a puzzled expression. No one would have ever expected her to say such a thing to one of her comrades. Sapphire has always been the one who has always been considered the calm and wise part of Garnet, but everyone had their limits.

"You are not helping! We perfectly know that Steven is in Yellow Diamond's hands, but screaming and panicking won't help us getting out of here! We have to stay calm and to focus… for Steven!" Sapphire said as Pearl sat down, her face buried in her hands.

Even if Sapphire managed to make Pearl calm down, everyone knew that, without any help, they would have never been able to escape from the cells, even the strongest of the gems would have never been able to pass through a force field. As tears began to flow from everyone's eyes, all the hopes seemed to vanish, Yellow Diamond would have brought them on Homeworld and there, they would have met their end, but what made them feel true despair, was the fact that they wouldn't be able to protect the one they loved most… and that was the moment when suddenly… the force fields disappeared…

"W-what?!" Pearl said as she raised her face from her hands, eyes wide.

"T-the fields… they are gone!" Ruby yelled as she stood up alongside her companions.

"What are we waiting for then?!" Amethyst yelled as she ran out from her cell.

As they all ran out from their cells, Ruby and Sapphire embraced each other. Ruby whirled Sapphire in the air as they watched each other, smiling. After some moments they rose in the air becoming the embodiment of their love, Garnet. As she landed on the ground she looked at the others and nodded as they did the same.

"We must reach the core… if this ship will arrive on Homeworld then we won't have a chance to survive…" Garnet said as she began to move, before being stopped by Pearl.

"What about Steven?!" Pearl asked as she grabbed her leader's arm.

"I can sense him, he is not injured, if Yellow Diamond wanted to hurt him she would have done it already, come on! We must be quick!" Garnet said as they Amethyst and Pearl began to follow her.

As they reached a long corridor, Garnet suddenly stopped running.

"Garnet?" Pearl asked as she reached her.

"There is something wrong…" Garnet said as a concerned expression appeared on Pearl's face.

"W-what?" Pearl asked.

"In that room…" Garnet said as she pointed a large door at the end of the corridor.

"There is the ship's core…" Garnet said as Amethyst went in front of her.

"Well?! It is what we were searching for! Why are you not moving?!" Amethyst asked as Garnet lowered her gaze.

"Yellow Diamond is in there… she's waiting for us…" Garnet said as Pearl's eyes went wide.

"D-did she let us free?" Pearl asked as she assumed a shocked expression.

"Well… she… she won't be able to beat us this time!" Amethyst yelled as she summoned her whip.

"It… it is not that… Steven is with her… but… he isn't unconscious… he… he isn't injured…" Garnet whispered as Pearl began to run towards the door.

"PEARL NO!" Garnet yelled as she ran towards her alongside Amethyst.

As Pearl reached the door, it opened, revealing a large, circular room, at the end of it, a tall figure was standing in front of a great, spherical, bright object, the ship's core. Yellow Diamond turned around, she didn't even looked at the gems, who were now in the room, she was just admiring herself in a small, blue mirror she had in her hand. Peridot was standing beside her, her eyes lowered to the ground.

"What do you think about my new mirror? I must admit, it isn't as great as the one of my chamber on Homeworld, but, you know, a mirror in more never hurts…" Yellow Diamond said, smiling wickedly.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" Pearl yelled as she summoned her white spear.

"Him? Oh… you mean that pathetic bequest of Rose Quartz?" Yellow Diamond stood aside revealing an unharmed Steven. But… indeed… there was something wrong… Steven's eyes were… different… his expression… it wasn't a terrified one or a concerned one… it was… soulless…

"I thought that you would have been happy to see him again…" Yellow Diamond said tittering evilly.

"W-what have you done to him?" Pearl asked, her voice filled with anger and concern as she gripped her spear even tighter, but then, her eyes went wide as she saw Yellow Diamond handing Steven a black scabbard.

"Who are they?" Yellow Diamond said as she looked straight in Steven's eyes.

"Traitors to Homeworld…" Steven said as he took the scabbard in his hands.

"And what is the punishment for traitors like them?" She asked as Steven pulled out a yellow blade from the scabbard.

"Death…" Steven said as he made his shield appear on his left arm and began to walk towards Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst.


	23. Chapter 23: The strongest bond

**CHAPTER 23: THE STRONGEST BOND**

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" Pearl yelled as she summoned her white spear.

"Him? Oh… you mean that pathetic bequest of Rose Quartz?" Yellow Diamond stood aside revealing an unharmed Steven. But… indeed… there was something wrong… Steven's eyes were… different… his expression… it wasn't a terrified one or a concerned one… it was… soulless…

"I thought that you would have been happy to see him again…" Yellow Diamond said tittering evilly.

"W-what have you done to him?" Pearl asked, her voice filled with anger and concern as she gripped her spear even tighter, but then, her eyes went wide as she saw Yellow Diamond handing Steven a black scabbard.

"Who are they?" Yellow Diamond said as she looked straight in Steven's eyes.

"Traitors to Homeworld…" Steven said as he took the scabbard in his hands.

"And what is the punishment for traitors like them?" She asked as Steven pulled out a yellow blade from the scabbard.

"Death…" Steven said as he made his shield appear on his left arm and began to walk towards Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst, who couldn't believe their own eyes, in front of them, there was the little, sweet, caring and compassionate kid who had always thought that fighting wasn't the only way to solve problems, that hurting another being would have always been something pointless and that, even if the creatures they faced together every day seemed to be nothing but foolish monsters filled with rage, always managed to see inside of them something more than that, understanding that somewhere, in those bundles of anger, there had to be still a light. But that wasn't the Steven they knew, he was someone else, the Steven they always knew had disappeared, leaving behind him a ghost, who was now approaching them, sword and shield in hands.

"S-Steven? Buddy, it's us…" Amethyst managed to say before being interrupted by a sick laugh.

"He can't hear you…" Yellow Diamond said tittering maliciously.

"W-why are you doing this?!" Pearl asked as she took a step forwards.

"Oh well… you know… watching all of you being executed wouldn't have been… how can I say… satisfying enough… so how about a little game instead… if you kill him… then I'll show you mercy… you'll live the rest of your eternity inside of a little, dark cell on Homeworld… if he kills you… well then… I'll free him from my control and show him what he had done… but all of us know how this will end… right?" Yellow Diamond said with a devious grin on her face.

"Y-you are sick…" Pearl said as she stared at the yellow gem, eyes wide.

"Lower your weapons…" Garnet said as she made her gauntlets disappear.

"What?! Garnet he-" Amethyst managed to say before being cut off by her leader.

"He… is… Steven… and he's not going to hurt us…" Garnet said as she began to approach Steven.

"Garnet wait!" Pearl shouted as she tried to reach her, but she stopped as she felt an hand holding her by her wrist.

"A-Amethyst?!" Pearl said, shocked by the purple gem, who was now holding her.

"Pearl, let Garnet do this…" Amethyst almost whispered, keeping her gaze on her leader, who was now almost in front of Steven.

"B-but…" Pearl tried to object but stopped as she saw Amethyst turning her gaze towards her, fear in her eyes.

"Pearl… Garnet is way more calmer than you right now… with Steven in that… state… the last thing we need is you running towards him screaming and crying…" Amethyst said as she slowly released Pearl from her grasp.

"Steven…" Garnet said as she kneeled down, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Listen to m-" She managed to say before being interrupted by a piercing sound.

Garnet's mouth fell open as she slowly lowered her gaze and saw what had happened. She looked at her chest and watched as Steven placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her towards him, sinking the yellow blade deeper and deeper in her chest.

"Pay for your sins, filthy traitor…" Steven almost whispered as Garnet raised her gaze, a small tear running down her cheek, before disappearing into clouds.

Pearl covered her mouth with both her hands as Amethyst gripped her whip even tighter. Then, Steven looked at Ruby and Sapphire's gems for some moments before raising his foot above them. That is when a black whip wrapped around Steven's leg. Amethyst pulled her whip and made Steven fall to the ground some meters away from her leader's gems.

"Amethyst! Are you insane?!" Pearl cried as Amethyst walked in front of her and slapped her across the face.

"W-what…" Pearl muttered as she held an hand to her cheek.

"Wake up Pearl! That… isn't… Steven!" Amethyst shouted as Pearl's eyes went wide.

"Amethyst… that is Steven!" Pearl said as Steven began to stand up from the ground.

"Open your eyes! Steven would have never done something like that!" Amethyst said as she turned towards Steven who was now running towards her.

As Steven was going to reach Amethyst, he threw at her his shield, hitting her in the chest. Amethyst fell backwards but rose up almost immediately and tried to slash him with her whip, only for her attack to be parried by Steven with his shield. He charged at her and tried to attack her with his sword, Amethyst managed to avoid his attack jumping backwards, but then Steven charged her again and this time hit her in the face with his shield making her fall to the ground. Steven jumped over her and raised his sword in the air. Before he could deliver the fatal blow, Amethyst kicked him in the stomach making him fly backwards. She stood up and raised her whip, that is when a white spear flew over her, slicing it in two. Amethyst looked behind her and saw Pearl running towards her.

"AMETHYST STOP THIS MADNESS! I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!" Pearl cried as she was going to reach her.

Amethyst turned around and saw Steven running towards her, she summoned another whip, but it was too late, before she could use it, Steven dismissed his shield and grabbed her wrist. Before she could even react, Steven swung his sword over her chest, then he let her go. Amethyst eyes went wide as she took a few steps backwards, she slowly placed a hand on her throat and tried to speak, but the only thing that came out from her mouth was a whisper, before she disappeared into clouds. He raised his gaze and looked at Pearl, her eyes were full of terror as she held her spear to her chest as Steven began to walk towards her.

"Come on, we both know that you are way much stronger and faster than him… kill him… kill him and you will live…" Yellow Diamond said tittering evilly.

"NEVER! I'LL NEVER HURT HIM!" Pearl screamed as Steven leapt at her.

Steven jumped towards her and tried to slash her, Pearl blocked his attack with the rod of her spear and began to move backwards as Steven continued to attack her. Pearl continued to block his attacks as tears continued to stream down her face.

"Please Steven! You must stop! I don't want to hurt you! Please, this isn't you!" Pearl screamed as Steven stopped attacking and groaned in pain as he held his head.

"What are you doing?! Attack!" Yellow Diamond shouted as she pointed Pearl.

"No Ste-" Pearl was cut off by Steven who began to attack her again, she tried to block his attack but as she did it, Steven hit her in the head with his shield.

Pearl's eyes went wide as she heard a cracking sound. She couldn't believe what had happened… Steven had cracked her gem. He rushed towards her and tried to slash her, Pearl dodged once again but this time, her reflexes took control and she hit him in the head with the end of her spear's rod. Steven fell backwards on the ground as Pearl rushed towards him.

"Oh no! Please forgive me! I… I didn't…" Pearl said as she reached Steven, before a hellish voice cut her off.

"Go on… finish him… you must face reality… or he dies… or you die…" Yellow Diamond said as she tittered evilly.

Steven began to stand up from the ground, he shook his head as he began to walk towards Pearl, stumbling over and over again. Pearl looked at him with tears in her eyes, but then, she closed her eyes and as the desperate expression on her face slowly changed into a weak smile, she looked at Yellow Diamond.

"Never…" Pearl said as she threw her spear on the ground and walked towards Steven.

"You are just a fool…" Yellow Diamond said as she watched Pearl kneeling down in front of Steven.

"Steven? It's me… Pearl… I'm here…" Pearl said as Steven reached her.

"You are wasting your last chance to survive… your 'Steven'… is gone… he won't listen to you… now… kill her…" Yellow Diamond ordered in a cold tone of voice.

"Don't listen to her Steven… I know you are still in there…" Pearl said as she began to stretch her hand towards him, she slowed down as Steven's grasp around his sword's hilt become tighter, but continued to move her hand towards Steven's face.

"It isn't your fault Steven… she forced you to do that… you would have never hurt them…" Pearl said softly as Steven began to grit his teeth.

"What are you waiting for?!" Yellow Diamond yelled angrily.

"You would never hurt me…" Pearl said as she gently placed her hand on Steven's cheek as tears began to stream down his face.

"H-how? How can you do this? You… y-you are just a… a defective drone! Y-you can't!" Yellow Diamond exclaimed, puzzled by what Pearl was doing.

"Please Steven… you are my child... you have always been… my little, sweet child… my Steven…" Pearl said as she wiped Steven's tears with her thumb.

Steven began to tremble and closed his eyes as Pearl leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Yellow Diamond couldn't believe her own eyes… how could a weak gem like a Pearl interfere with her mind grasp on this pathetic being? What… kind of… bond… could be stronger than her control?!

"Stop now! What are you doing?! Destroy the traitor! Now!" Yellow Diamond screamed in anger as she pointed Pearl.

Pearl smiled weakly as she looked into Steven's eyes. He blinked a couple of time… then… a slight smile began to form on his face, as Pearl began to cry and laugh at the same time. He turned around and watched Yellow Diamond right in her eyes.

"No…" Steven said as she threw the yellow blade to the ground and dismissed his shield once more.

"How… HOW?! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! DAMN… YOU!" Yellow Diamond screamed as she threw her mirror to the ground and began to walk towards them, her arm stretched towards Pearl and Steven, a bright light engulfing her hand.

Steven hugged Pearl tightly as his bubble enveloped them both before the bolt of energy sent by Yellow Diamond could hit them. The Homeworld's leader continued to move towards them, her arm still stretched towards them.

"THIS DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING! I WILL… HAVE… MY… REVENGE!" Yellow Diamond cried as the intensity of her bolt became stronger.

Steven stood up and faced Yellow Diamond as she approached them. He stretched his arms towards her, trying to oppose all of his strength to her bolts, but the fight with the gems made him tired. Soon, cracks began to appear on the surface of his bubble.

"I must admit it… it is quite a challenge to get rid of you…" Yellow Diamond said as she stretched her other arm towards Steven's bubble, sending another flow of energy towards it.

"Ngh! P-Peridot!" Steven cried looking at the green gem, who was now staring at the little hybrid with tears streaming down her face, as his bubble began to fall apart.

"Peridot please! You must help us! I know there is good in you!" Steven yelled as Yellow Diamond began to laugh hysterically.

"SHE… IS… NOTHING! SHE IS JUST A MINDLESS SERVANT! THIS IS WHAT SHE IS, AND WHAT SHE WILL ALWAYS BE!" Yellow Diamond cried.

"N-no! You are more than that Peridot! Don't listen to her! I know you can change! I know you are strong! I have faith in you!" Steven cried as his bubble exploded.

Steven fell to the ground, strengthless, Pearl reached him and raised his head gently. He opened his eyes and looked at Pearl who was now smiling to him.

"F-forgive me… Pearl… I… I wasn't strong enough…" Steven muttered before Pearl placed her finger on his lips.

"You couldn't have been stronger Steven… I couldn't be prouder…" Pearl said as she caressed his hair.

"Oh… so moving…" Yellow Diamond said sarcastically as she reached them, her gem glowing.

"It's a pity that this will end right now…" Yellow Diamond said as she summoned her sword and raised it high in the air.

Pearl embraced Steven tightly as he buried his face in her neck, both closed their eyes, knowing that, even if this was their last moment, they were together, and this was the only thing that mattered, together they would have faced this and together they would have remained, forever. Pearl and Steven waited for Yellow Diamond to strike, but nothing happened, instead, they heard a great scream of pain and as they opened their eyes they saw the cruel gem who was going to end their lives, engulfed in a bright light, as she screamed in pain. After some moments, she fell to the ground, revealing a green gem behind her. Peridot had a shocked expression on her face as she realized what she had done, she hit her leader with a destabilizer. Pearl's eyes grew wide as she understood that one of her enemies had just saved their lives, she looked at Steven, who was now smiling at his savior.

"Y-you must g-go away! The destabilizer isn't powerful enough to make her retreat in her gem! B-but it will buy some time!" Peridot yelled as she took in her hands Amethyst and Garnet's gems and Yellow Diamond's mirror.

"Now go! I'll make the ship come down…" She said as she gave the gems and the mirror to Pearl.

"W-what about you?!" Steven said as he reached Peridot, who looked at him smiling weakly.

"I'll keep her busy, so she won't follow you…" Peridot said as she began to turn towards Yellow Diamond, before being stopped by a hand holding her wrist.

"No Peridot! Don't do it! S-she will…" Steven said as he looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"D-don't worry S-Steven… I… I'll be fine…" Peridot lied as Steven suddenly hugged her legs.

"B-but…" Steven was cut off by Peridot who kneeled down and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you Steven… for what you have done for me… for caring for me…" Peridot said as she began to sob slightly.

"Now… go…" She said as she gently pushed him away.

"T-thank you…" Pearl muttered as she hold Steven's hand.

Peridot nodded and turned towards Yellow Diamond. Pearl and Steven rushed towards the core room's door and as they passed through it, Peridot used her holographic interface to seal it. Then, she turned around and saw Yellow Diamond getting on her knees.

"You… will pay… for this…" Yellow Diamond hissed through her teeth as she tried to stand up but fell again on her knees.

"Y-you won't hurt him…" Peridot muttered in fear as she gripped tightly her destablilizer.

"You really think that will stop me? I'll reap it off from your hands and I'll crush your gem with my bare hands… then… that door won't last long before I break it down…" Yellow Diamond said tittering evilly.

Peridot realized that even if she managed to hit her again with the destabilizer, she wouldn't have managed to defeat her, she was a simple technician, not a warrior, and that door, against Yellow Diamond's sword wouldn't have last long. But Peridot would have never let her hurt the only one who ever cared for her. She closed her eyes and sighed… as she understood what was the only thing that could have stopped Yellow Diamond.

"W-what… what are you doing?!" Yellow Diamond asked as she saw Peridot walking towards the great core.

"I'm saving him…" Peridot replied as she reached the core.

"D-don't… don't you dare!" Yellow Diamond said as she managed to stand up.

It was then that Peridot raised the destabilizer in the air, gripping it with both her hands, and smashed it down on the core's surface. She raised it again and hit the surface again, again and again. Suddenly, a crack appeared on it, a bright light coming from it.

"ARE YOU INSANE?! Y-YOU WILL KILL US BOTH!" Yellow Diamond said as she began limp towards Peridot.

"IF YOU'LL DO IT YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN!" She screamed, but Peridot continued to hit the crack, she knew that she would have never seen Steven again, but she didn't care, she only cared about him, and she wouldn't have let her hurt him, even if it meant for her to lose her life.

Suddely, the crack widened and Peridot raised the destablilizer one, last time, Yellow Diamond began to rush towards her, and as Peridot was going to strike the core one last time, she leapt at her.

"I love you, Steven…" Peridot whispered as she closed her eyes and lowered her arms.

"NOOOOOO!" Yellow Diamond screamed as she stretched her arm towards Peridot, but it was too late, Peridot managed to hit the core, and as it collapsed and exploded, together, the two gems disappeared into the blinding light.

**And this… is not the end of it… the last chapter will arrive soon… in the end Peridot managed to redeem herself. I hope you have liked the story so far and be ready for a great, emotional final chapter… so happy for having reached a hundred favs and follows, I will never thank you enough guys, you are simply the best, you can't even imagine how much your appreciation means for me, I love you all. Thank for all the reviews and see you in the next chapter. Bye! **


	24. Final Chapter: Come back

**FINAL CHAPTER : COME BACK **

Pearl and Steven rushed through the corridors of Yellow Diamond's ship, trying desperately to spot an exit. Suddenly, they heard an explosion coming from behind them. As the whole ship began to tremble, they stumbled and fell to the ground. Steven got up, but then he noticed that Pearl wasn't moving. He immediately kneeled down and turned Pearl around, gently raising her head. Steven gasped as he noticed a crack on Pearl's gem.

"P-Pearl… I…" Steven whispered as Pearl slowly opened her eyes.

"S-Steven… I can't… walk anymore… I… I have no strength left… t-the crack…" Pearl muttered as Steven's eyes became full of tears.

"P-Pearl… y-you have too… we m-must go…" Steven said as his tears began to fall on Pearl's face.

"Steven I can't… y-you must go…" Pearl muttered as her eyes began to water too.

"No, I won't let you here!" Steven said as he put Pearl's arm around his neck.

"S-Steven! What are you doing!" Pearl almost yelled in disbelief, as Steven put an arm on her back, the other behind her legs and raised her from the ground.

"P-put me d-down Steven! I w-will slow you down!" Pearl yelled as Steven began to rush through the corridors holding her.

"No!" Steven yelled as he looked frenetically for an exit, he remembered how he managed to survive the crash of Peridot's ship using his bubble, but this time, having seen the dimension of Yellow Diamond's ship, he didn't know if he could have saved Pearl, the others and himself with it.

"S-Steven… I'm not… worth your lif-" Pearl whispered before being cut off by Steven.

"Don't say it! You… don't… know… how much you mean to me!" Steven yelled as he stopped and stared at her.

"S-Steven…" Pearl whispered as she stared at him.

Steven kept running until he found himself in front of a window, his face went withe as he realized that the ship was coming down, he could already see, even if incredibly small, Beach City. He ran as fast as he could, trying to spot the exit. Suddenly he reached the beginning of a long corridor, he saw a control panel and reached it, fortunately as he touched it, the door at the end of it opened. He began to run towards it but as he reached half of the corridor, he heard another explosion and as he turned around he could see flames coming towards him.

"S-STEVEN! LET ME GO! YOU WON'T MAKE IT IF YOU CARRY ME!" Pearl screamed as her eyes widened seeing the flames coming towards them.

Steven didn't listen to her as he turned around and began to run as fast as he could towards the exit. As he ran, Steven could feel the heat reaching his back. As the exit become nearer and nearer. Steven couldn't see anymore because of the smoke, but just before the flames could engulf his body, he reached the exit and fell out from the ship with Pearl still in his arms. He could see the sea becoming closer and closer as they fell towards it. Steven summoned his bubble before they could hit the surface. Moments passed as nothing happened. Suddenly, Steven's bubble came out from the waters and moved towards the beach, which was now covered in debris. As it reached the sand, Steven dismissed his bubble and fell to the ground alongside Pearl, who finally released from her grasp the mirror and Amethyst and Garnet's gemstones.

"Pearl!" Steven yelled as he kneeled down beside her.

"P-Pearl?" Steven called her, but Pearl didn't answer, his eyes full of fear.

"S-Steven?" Pearl whispered as she slowly opened her eyes.

As Steven saw Pearl opening her eyes, a great smile formed on his lips as he hugged her tightly. After some moments, Steven released her but his smile faded away as he noticed that the crack of Pearl's gem had widened.

"P-Pearl…" Steven muttered with pure terror in his eyes.

"Steven… d-don't be a-afraid… i-it's ok…" Pearl whispered smiling weakly.

"It… It's all my fault!" Steven cried as he gripped his hair, but stopped when he felt a hand on his wrist, gently pulling his hand away.

"It… it wasn't… your fault Steven… she forced you… b-but you came back and protected us… without… you… I would have… died on that ship… t-thank you…" Pearl said as tears streamed down her face.

"Pearl please… I… I want t-to help you… but I… I can't! Please… tell me what you want me to do!" Steven panicked, but as Pearl gently laid one hand on his cheek, he calmed down.

"S-stay with me… I… I don't want to leave being alone…" Pearl said as Steven put his hand on hers.

"No! D-don't! I…I can take you to mom's fountain!" Steven said as Pearl gently shook his head.

"It's… too late… but… I'm happy I'm here… with you…" Pearl whispered softly.

"Pearl no! You can't leave… I… I can't… lose another mom…" Steven said as tears started to fill his eyes.

As soon as those words came out from Steven's mouth, Pearl's heart melted. She knew that Steven cared about her, that he loved her, but she couldn't imagine that he saw her as a mother. She felt like, she didn't deserve it, Rose was Steven's mother and even if she couldn't be there to raise him, Pearl knew how much Rose cared for Steven, how much she loved him, so much that she would have sacrificed her own life in order to give him the chance to live a life on the planet she had saved, she knew that he would have been someone extraordinary and never stopped believing in him. Pearl believed that even in all the eternity, she would have never become even remotely as great as Rose was, but the fact that Steven loved her like he would have loved his mother, made her feel a happiness she hadn't felt for ages.

"S-Steven… I d-don't d-deserve-" Pearl tried to say but she was cut off by Steven.

"Don't say that!" Steven almost yelled as tears continued to fall on Pearl's face.

"Steven… w-was I… a b-bad m-mother?" Pearl asked as she began to sob slightly.

"Never…" Steven whispered as he wiped away Pearl's tears.

"I… I m-made s-so many… m-mistakes… f-forgive me…" Pearl muttered softly closing her eyes.

As Pearl said those words, Steven bent down and hugged her tightly. Pearl knew that these were her last moments with Steven, but she didn't care about what was going to happen to her, she was just happy she could share this moment with his special little boy.

"You didn't! You always loved me and protected me, you always tried to teach me how to be strong in the real way, when I fell, y-you were there to help me and when I was sad… y-you were always there to comfort me… I… I never had bad dreams… because… because I knew you were there… every night…" Steven whispered gently.

"I'm sure… your mother would be… so proud of you Steven… just like me… I couldn't be prouder of you… my Steven…" Pearl said as suddenly… her body began slowly to dissipate into nothing.

"PEARL NO! DON'T GO! PLEASE I CAN'T GO ON WITHOUT YOU!" Steven yelled as Pearl smiled weakly and with her last strength took him in a last embrace.

"Be strong Steven… be strong for the ones you care for… like you have been strong for me… take care of them Steven… I… love you… so much…" Pearl whispered as her body disappeared completely.

Steven remained motionless, his body curled up on the ground, Pearl's gemstone held firmly to his chest. He didn't know for how much time he stayed there, whispering to her to come back to him, but nothing happened. He began to stand up, taking from the ground the mirror and Amethyst and Garnet's gemstones. He couldn't believe that Pearl was really gone. He wished that he could open his eyes and see his bedroom, realizing that all of this was just a nightmare… but it wasn't.

"I love you too Pearl…" Steven said as he kissed gently Pearl's gemstone.

He began to walk towards the house… and that is when… a bright light came from his hands… he couldn't believe his own eyes… Pearl's gemstone… it was shining and suddenly… it rose in the air… a body formed around it and as it touched the ground… Steven left on the ground the objects he was carrying and rushed towards the gem he thought he had lost forever.

"Pearl!" Steven hugged her tightly as she kneeled down and did the same.

"S-Steven?! How… how is this even possible?" Pearl asked as she looked at him, tears of joy streaming down both of their faces.

"I… I kissed your gem…" Steven said Pearl's eyes went wide.

"Your powers… your… healing powers… they… they work?!" Pearl asked as she cupped his face with her hands.

"But how?!" Steven asked as he tried to understand how he managed to make his powers come back.

"I… I don't know… do you remember the first time you used your… ehm… saliva to heal someone?" Pearl asked as Steven thought about when he healed Connie's eyes.

"I was with Connie… after healing Amethyst's gem… we… well I was sad and she took my hand and said that I didn't need powers to be with her… we… were becoming closer and closer and then… well she could see clearly…" Steven said as Pearl blushed, he noticed it and waved his hands.

"S-she drank my juice! W-we didn't…" Steven said blushing as well.

"D-don't worry Steven… I'm glad you care for her… you… care… that's it!" Pearl yelled enthusiastically.

"What?" Steven asked still perplexed.

"You… care for her… and your powers activated because of it… you lost them because you didn't believe in yourself and when you tried to fix the geode… knowing from Greg that your powers actually worked on him… still didn't work… but that's because your powers only work when you care for someone and you want to save them!" Pearl said as Steven smiled to her.

"I'm happy you came back Pearl…" Steven said as Pearl embraced him again.

"Me too Steven… me too…" Pearl whispered as she buried her face in his hair.

Steven and Pearl stood up and went into the house. Steven took out from the mirror Lapis's gemstone. When she came back she couldn't believe Steven managed to save them, but more than that, she couldn't believe that he wouldn't be able to do that without the help of Peridot, nor Amethyst or Garnet when they regenerated and came back too. As the days passed, Lapis began to become nearer to the gems and finally, with a little help from his beach summer buddy, she became friends with them as they earned her trust, and she earned theirs. She finally saw the Earth as her new home, she didn't really like it all that much, but as long as Steven would have been there, she would have never wanted to be elsewhere. One evening, Steven was sitting on the beach, looking at the sea.

"Steven?" Pearl said as Steven turned around.

"Oh, hi Pearl…" Steven said smiling weakly.

"Is something wrong?" Pearl said kneeling down beside him.

"No… it's all right…" Steven said as he looked down.

"Are you… sad because of Peridot?" Pearl asked smiling weakly to him.

"I just wish… she didn't… I wish she was here with us now… she was good…" Steven said looking at Pearl.

"I know Steven… I was wrong… she cared about you and none of us will never forget what she had done for us…" Pearl said as she caressed his hair.

"Thank you Pearl…" Steven said as a small smile grew on his face.

"Do you want to come in with us? We were thinking about creating a room for Lapis in the temple… we would really like you to help us…" Pearl said hoping to cheer him up.

"I'd like to help… I'll reach you…" Steven said smiling to her, as she did the same and began to walk towards the house.

"Thank you Peridot…" Steven whispered as he smiled, looking at the sea… and his smile grew even bigger… when he noticed a green light… coming from the waters.

**~Fin~**

** And this is the end guys! Tell me, you thought Peridot was gone didn't you? Didn't you? Well, not in my story guys! I hope you have liked my story and how it ended, I want to thank you all for all the appreciation you gave me during all the weeks I spent writing it, for all the favs and follows, you can't even imagine how much important your appreciation have been during all this time. Soon, I will 'come back', hehe, sorry, bad joke, with another story, a cooperation with , oh and I also opened a tumbrl account where I'll post some emotional arts about Steven Universe and also some videos, I hope you'll go there and watch them, I have already posted the link on Steven Universe reddit (I have the same nickname there, the post should be in 'newest'), I would really like you to tell me what do you think about my first work. I wish you to spend beautiful summer holidays and I hope you are all doing fine, so well, to the next story and beyond! Bye!**


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